Meat-free meal appeal

Once upon a time, the British diet was dominated by meat. It formed part of breakfast, lunch and dinner, particularly on more affluent tables; even during the late 20th century, meat was considered a healthy and integral component of a person’s diet. Yet the vegetarian movement, which gathered pace with the Suffragettes of the 1920s, gradually changed the perception of animals as merely sustenance. A plethora of food companies have since developed a wealth of alternative options to replace meat on the dinner plate. Now in its 32nd year, the Quorn brand has emerged as one of the most enduring.

Recently expanding into traditionally meat-heavy cuisines of France and Italy, the versatility offered by the Quorn brand is being recognised further afield than its traditional vegetarian capital of Britain. To consolidate this growth and establish itself as serious contender to challenger brands offering a similar product, Quorn has updated its brand identity. Under the guidance of international brand and packaging design agency, Bulletproof, its renewed packaging affirms Quorn’s market dominance and aims to offer an alternative to potentially unimaginative vegetarian products.

Bulletproof says, “Quorn has long been the market leader within the category. But to achieve its global ambition to offer all consumers a healthier, more sustainable alternative to meat, it needed to step change penetration and shift perceptions to an accessible, aspirational nutritious food brand.”

And the potential for meat-free diets, made popular by health bloggers and increasing awareness of nutrition, is gaining traction. Recognition of the health and environmental benefits of limited meat intake has led to increased sales of alternative meat products, often featuring less saturated fat and salt than their meat counterparts.

Bulletproof continues, “An opportunity was identified to broaden the appeal of the brand by targeting ‘Healthy Discoverers’ – consumers actively looking for healthy, nutritious, exciting and flavoursome meat-free dishes, rather than settling for the staid and apologetic category norms.”

With the brand set to be rolled out over March 2017, a contemporary and light brand aesthetic was crucial. Bulletproof says, “Our design solution centres around the celebration of delicious food using sumptuous, editorial-style food photography shot top down by Andy Grimshaw, with the dishes presented in a natural and unstaged way. For added shelf impact and to aid navigation within the range, we introduced a split colour system to the packs that teamed the iconic brand asset – Quorn orange – with a complementary pillar colour to identify the occasion, whether dinner, lunch or on the go.”

To emphasise Quorn’s natural ingredients and versatility, its updated visual identity includes what Bulletproof describes as a ‘rustic-looking background.’ This nod to artisanal quality is intended to attract a younger, dynamic audience without alienating the customers that made Quorn’s brand a success from the beginning.

A new tagline, ‘Proudly meat-free’ is a confident statement installed to distance the brand from meat, despite the meat-like qualities of some Quorn products.

Peter Harrison, marketing director of Quorn Foods, says, “Quorn needed a brand refresh to ensure it had broader appeal. Bulletproof have delivered a fresh and contemporary design, full of appetite appeal that perfectly reflects our future vision for the brand.”