What makes Beyond Meat’s marketing work
Beyond Meat built its brand by positioning plant based protein as a direct replacement for meat, not a niche diet product. It placed its burgers in the meat aisle, partnered with major food chains, backed its claims with published science, and used its IPO and early investors to keep the brand in the news for years.
Introduction
Beyond Meat launched in 2009 with a simple but ambitious goal: create plant based meat that looks, cooks and tastes so close to animal meat that regular meat eaters would choose it. That single idea shaped almost every marketing decision the company made, from where its products sat on supermarket shelves to who it chose as investors. For entrepreneurs, Beyond Meat is worth studying because it shows how a challenger brand in a crowded, sceptical category can build credibility, distribution and cultural relevance without relying on a huge existing customer base.
Positioning the product as meat, not a meat alternative
From the start, Beyond Meat avoided language and branding that would box it into the vegetarian or vegan category. The company built its message around meat eaters, framing its products as something a burger loving customer could swap in without changing their behaviour, rather than a compromise aimed only at people who already avoided animal products. The name itself, Beyond Meat, signals progress beyond meat rather than a rejection of it.
How to apply this to your business: Identify the widest possible audience your product genuinely serves and write your messaging for them, not just your existing base. If you sell something seen as niche, find the mainstream need it solves and lead with that instead of the label your product usually gets.
Putting the product in the meat aisle, not the frozen vegetarian section
One of Beyond Meat’s most deliberate distribution decisions was placing the Beyond Burger in the fresh meat case at grocery stores, next to real beef, rather than in the frozen or vegetarian sections where plant based products traditionally sat. This meant shoppers who had no intention of seeking out a meat substitute would encounter it while doing their normal meat shopping.
How to apply this to your business: Think about where your ideal customer already shops or looks, rather than where your product category has traditionally been placed. Ask retail partners or online platforms for placement next to the products your customers already trust, even if that means leaving your product’s usual category.
Backing claims with independent scientific data
Beyond Meat commissioned a life cycle assessment study with the University of Michigan to measure the environmental impact of the Beyond Burger against a traditional beef burger, covering water use, land use and greenhouse gas emissions. Publishing this research gave the company a factual basis for its sustainability claims rather than relying on vague green marketing language.
How to apply this to your business: Where possible, get independent verification for any health, environmental or performance claim you make, even on a small scale, such as third party testing or a university partnership. Customers are increasingly sceptical of marketing claims, and a documented source builds trust faster than adjectives alone.
Using high profile investors as a credibility signal
Beyond Meat attracted early investment and public backing from well known figures, including Bill Gates and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, both of whom spoke publicly about their support for the company. This kind of backing generated media coverage the company could not have bought at the same scale, and it lent credibility to a product category many consumers were still unsure about.
How to apply this to your business: You do not need a celebrity investor to use this tactic. Seek endorsements or partnerships with people your target customers already respect, whether that is a local expert, an industry figure or a well regarded community voice, and make sure their support is genuine rather than a paid placement.
Co-branding with major fast food and restaurant chains
Beyond Meat pursued high visibility foodservice partnerships, including the Beyond Famous Star with Carl’s Jr, menu trials with KFC, a breakfast sandwich with Dunkin, and the McPlant burger developed with McDonald’s. Each partnership put the product in front of millions of existing fast food customers who would never have gone looking for it in a supermarket.
How to apply this to your business: Look for partners with an established customer base that overlaps with your target market and pitch a limited trial or co-branded offer rather than asking for a permanent commitment straight away. A short, well publicised trial reduces risk for the partner and gives you a case study to use with the next one.
Turning the IPO into a marketing event
Beyond Meat’s initial public offering on the Nasdaq in May 2019 generated significant media attention, with the stock rising sharply on its debut trading day. Coverage of the IPO reached well beyond the financial press into general news and food media, introducing the brand to people who had never heard of it and reinforcing the idea that plant based meat was a serious, fast growing category rather than a fad.
How to apply this to your business: Treat major business milestones, such as funding rounds, new premises or a significant partnership, as public stories rather than internal news. A well timed press release or local media pitch around a genuine milestone can generate coverage that advertising spend alone would not buy.
Designing packaging that looks premium, not medicinal
Beyond Meat’s packaging uses clean typography, bold colour and simple photography that resembles quality meat packaging rather than the earthy, health food aesthetic common to older vegetarian brands. This design choice reinforced the core message that the product belonged next to, and competed directly with, traditional meat.
How to apply this to your business: Audit your packaging and marketing materials against your direct competitors, not just others in your niche. If you want to be seen as a mainstream alternative, your visual presentation needs to match the standards of the market you are trying to enter, not the market you came from.
Running both retail and foodservice distribution at the same time
Rather than building slowly through grocery stores alone, Beyond Meat pursued retail and foodservice distribution in parallel, appearing in supermarkets and restaurant menus within a similar timeframe. This dual approach meant the brand built awareness through everyday grocery shopping while also reaching people eating out, reinforcing the same message from two directions at once.
How to apply this to your business: Consider whether your product could reach customers through more than one channel at the same time, such as direct sales alongside a retail or wholesale partner. Running channels in parallel, even at a small scale, can build awareness faster than growing one channel fully before starting the next.
Continuous product iteration to keep the story moving
Beyond Meat has expanded from its original Beyond Burger into products such as Beyond Sausage, Beyond Chicken and Beyond Beef, alongside ongoing reformulations aimed at improving taste and reducing ingredients some customers found off putting, such as saturated fat content. Each new launch or reformulation gave the company a fresh reason to be covered in the media and discussed by customers who had tried earlier versions.
How to apply this to your business: Plan regular, meaningful updates to your core product rather than only launching entirely new items. A visible improvement to something customers already know gives you a legitimate reason to re-engage them and attract media or social attention without needing a completely new product line.
Pricing close to premium meat rather than as a budget option
Beyond Meat priced its products in line with, or above, premium cuts of meat rather than competing on price with cheaper meat or older meat substitute brands. This reinforced the positioning of the product as a quality choice rather than a cheaper compromise, matching the premium packaging and placement strategy.
How to apply this to your business: Set your price in line with the position you want your brand to hold, not the cheapest option in your category. If you are asking customers to try something new, a low price can unintentionally signal low quality, whereas a price close to the premium alternative supports the message that your product is a genuine substitute.
Transparency about ingredients and how the product is made
Beyond Meat has been open about the ingredients used in its products, including pea protein, and has published information comparing its nutritional profile with beef, addressing questions customers were likely to have about a product trying to replace something as familiar as meat. This transparency helped counter scepticism from customers who assumed a plant based burger must be highly processed or unclear in its composition.
How to apply this to your business: Answer the question your sceptical customers are already asking before they have to ask it, whether that is about ingredients, sourcing, or how something is made. Putting this information on your packaging, website or in your content builds trust and reduces the hesitation that stops a first time buyer from committing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main marketing lesson from Beyond Meat’s strategy?
The central lesson is that Beyond Meat marketed itself as a replacement for meat aimed at meat eaters, rather than as a niche product for vegetarians and vegans. That single positioning decision shaped its distribution, pricing, packaging and partnerships, and it is the reason the brand reached a much wider audience than earlier plant based meat companies.
Did Beyond Meat rely mainly on advertising to grow?
No. Much of Beyond Meat’s early growth came from public relations, distribution decisions, high profile partnerships and media coverage of milestones such as its stock market listing, rather than large scale traditional advertising. This approach is often more accessible to smaller businesses than a big advertising budget.
Why did Beyond Meat put its products in the meat aisle instead of the vegetarian section?
Placing the Beyond Burger next to traditional meat meant it was seen by shoppers who were already buying meat and had no plan to look in the vegetarian or frozen sections. This distribution choice matched the company’s core message that the product was a genuine alternative to meat, not a separate category product.
Can a small business realistically copy Beyond Meat’s tactics?
Not every tactic scales down directly, particularly a stock market listing or a celebrity investor, but the underlying principles do. Clear positioning, honest transparency about your product, smart placement near your ideal customer, and building credibility through evidence rather than claims are all achievable for a small business with a limited budget.
Has Beyond Meat’s marketing strategy always worked?
Beyond Meat built strong early growth and brand recognition, but the wider plant based meat category has faced slower sales and increased competition in more recent years, alongside cost and pricing pressures for consumers. This shows that even a well built brand strategy needs to keep adapting as the market and customer expectations change.
More marketing case studies
- Old Spice Marketing Strategy: How They Built a Brand That Wins
- Webflow Marketing Strategy: How They Built a Brand That Wins
- Dove Marketing Strategy: How They Built a Brand That Wins
Related reading: Business Lessons from Ray Kroc and Marketing Case Studies: How the World’s Best Brands Actually Grew.
For the bigger picture, see my full guide to digital marketing.
