The Branding of Plant-Based Milk A Content Analysis of Three European Brands

The market for plant-based food and beverage substitutes is growing. Not only is plantbased meat, such as burgers, becoming increasingly popular, but so are different kinds of plant-based milk. While the consumption of cow’s milk continues to decline, the increasing consumption of non-dairy milk is revolutionizing the beverage industry. This change has been, among others, caused by health and environmental concerns. Despite this interesting shift, little to no research has been done on the marketing or branding of dairy alternatives. This study contributes to a new and growing field of research on dairy alternatives by providing insights into the way two important issues, sustainability and health, have been used in the branding of plant-based milk. The aim is to analyse the appeal of health and ethics that have been used in the last five years in the branding of three plant-based milk producers in Europe through a qualitative content analysis. A thematic approach was used for a systematic analysis that gives meaning to the data and a focus on providing an exhaustive description. A thematic analysis offered insight into patterns across the data, which were essential to this research. Five different mediums were chosen for data collection and analysis to account for a complete image of the branding strategies of three European companies. The packaging, print advertising, television advertising and social media accounts (Instagram and Facebook) of the brands Alpro, Oatly and Rude Health were studied. Alpro is a Belgian food and beverage producer, specialising in plant-based alternatives to dairy. Oatly is a Swedish vegan brand which makes products from oats as an alternative to dairy. Rude Health describes itself as a healthy food and drinks company from London, which produces dairy free drinks. The main findings demonstrate a general and a specific appeal of health and ethics. The general appeals were demonstrated by living a healthy lifestyle and making environmentally conscious choices that go beyond dietary choices. These appeals were mostly presented on the social media platforms of the brands. The specific appeal of health was shown by communicating that plant-based milk is healthy, nutritious and good for you, which was mostly shown on packaging and television commercials. The specific appeal of ethics was presented by communicating that plantbased milk was good for the planet and a better choice than dairy regarding CO2 emissions, which was mostly shown on the packaging, print advertising and television commercials. The appeal of ethics, and thus sustainability, is an abstract concept predominantly presented through text, whereas the appeal of health as a concrete concept was mainly represented through pictures.