Since launching in 2014, the Veganuary challenge has snowballed into a veritable cultural institution ready-made for the 2020s.
Now closing in on a decade, the event has grown exponentially year-on-year, with a modest 3,000 signing up for the month long-challenge in its inaugural edition – a figure that stood at a staggering 629,000 last year.
Run by a UK-based non-profit, Veganuary’s stated aims are simple; to educate people about and help proliferate the vegan lifestyle by challenging the public to take up a diet free of animal products for the 31 days of January. Tapping into the growing desire for people to draw a clear line under the indulgent excesses of the festive period, Veganuary signals a wider cultural shift which also includes the no-alcohol challenge, Dry January.
Veganism itself has become a solid money-maker for business within the FMCG sector – and for many, creating a strong, high-quality vegan range has become necessary to keep up with the competition.
Here, we break down some of the most interesting Veganuary marketing campaigns that have dropped this month, ranging from counter-cultural pressure groups to multi-million pound institutions.
V-Face – ‘Give Animals a Break’
Dublin’s first-ever vegan burger bar, V-Face last week launched a playful campaign with a serious message in support of Veganuary.
Developed in partnership with local agency The Public House, the campaign, titled ‘Give animals a break’ imagined what traditional farmyard animals might get up to – if only we let them live out their lives freely.
Short, photo-realistic animations subverted scenes of traditional farm life by depicting a gaggle of hens having a party, a cow strutting her stuff on the dancefloor, and a pig indulging in a spot of outdoor yoga.
“I loved working with The Public House on this campaign. It was important for me to see the V-Face brand in the final execution and it definitely radiates here,” V-Face managing director, Sarah Boland said.
“At the end of the day we’re not ordering people to give up meat. It’s more of a friendly message which we hope welcomes everyone through our doors. We chose January to release the campaign as Veganuary is when we see lots of people dipping their toes into veganism for the first time, and we’re here for it!”
GenV – ‘Go Vegan Rishi Sunak’
Vegan charity and action group GenV launched a powerful out-of-home campaign challenging prime minister Rishi Sunak to go vegan for a month in exchange for a charitable donation of £1 million.
Centred around an out-of-home takeover of Westminster Underground station, the guerrilla marketing campaign also includes a range of innovative activations.
To mark the resumption of parliament on 9 January, GenV greeted MPs with a procession of tractors carrying inflatables shaped like a burning planet Earth, Rishi Sunak, a £1 million-pound symbol and the GenV logo.
In addition to this a banner was displayed on Parliament Bridge reading: “GO VEGAN RISHI SUNAK”, while full-page ads were also taken out across four major national newspapers.
“Our sincere hope is that Rishi Sunak will accept our million-pound offer. We urge him to lead by example and showcase how satisfying, healthy, and enjoyable – as well as ethically and environmentally positive – plant-based eating can be.” GenV CEO, Naomi Hallum said.
Beyond Meat and Peter Andre
For Veganuary, Peter Andre teamed up with plant-based meat brand Beyond Meat to inspire the nation to take a step towards a more plant-based diet.
The ‘Take The First Step Beyond’ PR and social campaign targeted ‘ardent’ carnivores and flexitarians, encouraging them to convert to eating plant-based foods with Beyond Meat products.
The promotion was inspired by Ocado research that found that the brand was a top-selling plant-based meat product for Veganuary last year.
“We want to show Brits just how easy it is to take the first step to a more plant-based diet this Veganuary,” Beyond Meat marketing director EMEA Bram Meijer said.
“By putting Beyond Meat at the centre of your plate, you are still able to eat what you love – like a juicy burger – without having to compromise on taste or sustainability.”
Andre himself added: “I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Beyond Meat to help the nation take their first step this Veganuary and can’t wait to share how easy it is to cook plant-based meat.”
Asda and Married at First Sight’s Zoe Clifton
To promote its brand new OMV! vegan range, grocery giant Asda has enlisted the services of reality TV star Zoe Clifton as a brand ambassador.
Despite being a self-confessed meat-lover, Clifton has pledged to take part in the Veganuary challenge by exclusively consuming products from Asda’s new meat-free range.
Through this partnership, the grocer will be hoping to inspire more Brits to regularly try vegan products following research that indicates one in five won’t go vegan due to a perceived lack of viable alternative products.
“We’re incredibly excited to announce Zoe Clifton as our ambassador for the launch of the new OMV! range and Plant Based by Asda,” said Asda retail manager, Jessica Cole.
“While we already have a loyal base of shoppers who follow vegan and flexitarian diets, we want to open this up and challenge existing stereotypes surrounding the quality of vegan food – stereotypes that are clearly still prevalent in society as research shows.”
Veganuary – ‘Pink Boombox’
Coming straight from the organisation behind Veganuary itself, this campaign aimed to inspire the world to go vegan for January ‘and beyond’.
The charity hoped that this latest TV spot would speak to people left feeling ‘sluggish’ after the festive period and intended to inspire those who felt uninspired by their regular meals.
Produced by Los Angeles-based agency Asher Brown/Pollution Studios, the fun and ’80s-reminiscent’ ad hoped to entice people into going vegan, propelling families into a ‘bright new year filled with delicious food’.
“Climate anxiety is real, but we can’t let anxiety lead to apathy,” Veganuary head of comms Toni Vernelli said.
“Veganuary is inviting you to choose action and choose hope this January by trying vegan for 31 days. We’ll be here to coach you through every step of the way!”
Veganuary 2022 participant, Kelly, from Bury-St-Edmunds, added: “The media makes me feel very helpless and so do our so-called leaders. However, things like Veganuary make me feel like there is something that I can do and it is done in such a nice, informative but fun way that I don’t feel overwhelmed.”
