Vega looks to shake up morning routines
Old habits die hard, but Burnaby-based protein powder company Vega believes it can shake up Canadians’ daily routines.
The company has launched a new Toronto campaign tied to the tagline “Shake Up Your Routine.” It encourages shoppers to make small, healthy life changes that are sustainable and can be carried into old age.
“It recognizes that we all get caught up in a routine,” explains John Edmonds, Vega’s creative director. “We wake up and put things in our system that might not be the best for us, but it’s not because we don’t have a desire to do better.”
Creative associated with the campaign compares having a traditional breakfast, such as cereal or toast, to starting your day with a smoothie using Vega. “Start your day with nutrition that doesn’t taste like the box it came in,” reads one ad.
“We’d love for folks to know there’s more nutrition with
Edmonds says Vega “cut its teeth” in Burnaby, and is now a well-entrenched brand with high awareness in Vancouver. “We looked at Toronto as a place where there was great distribution, but not necessarily the same awareness as in Vancouver,” he said. “We wanted to see if there was a way to spike awareness and cut through the clutter.”
Vega kicked off the campaign during Toronto’s film festival, TIFF. The brand did a “wake up, shake up” event at the popular Toronto Bar, The Addisons Residence. Influencers, bloggers and TIFF participants were invited to the morning event, which featured a DJ, yoga, Vega mimosas, and a “green carpet” to play on the festival’s red carpet.
Future campaign elements include OOH advertising including billboards and transit takeovers, digital and retail activations and experiential events. Over the next week, Vega will hold sampling events across Toronto and the GTA.
Experiential events and sampling are key to the Vega brand, says Edmonds. The company is known for its “plant bases” which are essentially shipping crates converted into demo booths. By being able to interact directly with customers, says Edmonds, Vega is able to describe the nutrition behind the product, but also communicate the company’s philosophy, which centres around health and welleness.
Toronto will serve as the first test market for Vega’s integrated campaign, and future campaigns will start in the U.S. and expad globally from there, modeled and scaled around Toronto results.