If it’s oat cheese,

it’s Oatly.

Creative Brief

CLIENT: Oatly

TASK: Create a comprehensive ad campaign promoting the launch of a new line of oat-based spreadable cheeses. This includes a news release, billboard, bus shelter, poster, blog, Instagram posts and tagline.

GOAL: Increased public awareness of the new products, drive consumer interest and encourage sales among Oatly’s target audience.  

Tagline

If it’s oat cheese, it’s Oatly.

This tagline will be used on all of the campaign’s OOH ads and some Instagram ads. It appeals to Oatly’s pride as the “original” oat milk brand, which is a nod to their founder, Rickard Öste, who invented oat milk in 1990. This sense of pride is present throughout the Oatly website, brand history, mission statements and even appears in its logo. By producing some of the first, if not THE first, oat-based cheeses on the market, Oatly is staying true to its pioneer roots. The campaign will emphasize this fact throughout, in order to stay consistent to Oatly’s brand personality.

Why is this needed?

Currently, there is a lack of oat-based cheeses within the plant-based food industry. Oatly needs to capitalize on this market gap by releasing its own line of spreadable oat-based cheeses. They will be offered in three delicious flavors: Original, Garlic & Rosemary and Roasted Red Pepper. As this is a new and uncharted category within plant-based food, Oatly must employ a strategic advertising campaign to create awareness and encourage sales of the new products. 

Target Audience

This campaign targets middle-income Gen Z and Millennials ages 18-35 with a 60/40 female/male skew in the U.S. They may be vegetarian or vegan, or at least have an interest in incorporating plant-based products into their diet. They have likely already tried oat milk and are aware of the Oatly brand. They have a desire to live a healthy lifestyle, and often cook for themselves rather than eating out. They also have some disposable income, and are willing to pay a slightly higher price for high quality, plant-based, eco-friendly products. They may be foodies or coffee buffs, or at least have a general awareness of popular food and drink trends. They are also avid social media users on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. They have some level of concern about climate change, sustainability and the environment. 

How to make them listen …

  • In recent years, U.S. oat milk sales have grown significantly due to increased public interest in plant-based products. This campaign will leverage the popularity of oat milk to peak consumer interest in other oat-based products, in this case, spreadable cheese. 

  • The cheeses will be widely accessible and offered at a reasonable price point that is attractive to Oatly’s target audience. 

  • Some elements of the campaign will emphasize the eco-friendliness of oat-based food, appealing to the audience’s environmental concerns. 

  • The campaign will also have a social media element, with paid ads on Instagram and a year-long collaboration with digital artists and social media chefs. The chefs will work with Oatly to routinely develop and upload recipes to the brand’s new blog, “Go Ahead, Eat Like a Vegan.” This strategy appeals to the target audience’s social media usage and leverages the popularity of food influencers as credible third-party advocates. 

  • Finally, the campaign will use an anticipatory tone throughout its messaging to create public enthusiasm for the cheeses.

Ad Placement

  • The OOH ads will be placed throughout major metropolitan cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston, San Diego, etc. The billboard will be placed along busy freeways with lots of traffic, which will allow more people to see it for longer periods of time as they pass by. The bus shelter and poster will be dispersed throughout walkable areas of these cities. This will allow for greater foot traffic and therefore greater engagement with the ads. 

  • The news release will be posted to Oatly’s official website. It will also be sent to notable, national publications such as PR Newswire and Food Dive. 

  • The social media ads will appear as paid advertisements on Instagram. 

  • The blog and infographic will appear as subpages on Oatly’s official website.