Yves Veggie Cuisine has taken the standard hot dog, burger, and deli slice – mainstays of North American fast food – and popularized them in a soy protein format that is fat-free and easy to prepare. Its line of veggie wieners, burgers and deli slices are sold fresh in supermarkets chains across Canada and the United States.
The challenge
When Yves Veggie Cuisine first started out in 1985, its products appealed primarily to vegetarian consumers who were, at the time, considered a marginal or fringe market. Recognizing that there was a growing trend towards healthier eating, the company wanted to attract more mainstream consumers and, in 1992, contracted Whalebone Productions to help them.
Strategy and execution
Whalebone Productions was instrumental in helping to grow the company’s business from $2 million in sales in 1992 to $75 million in 2000 when it was sold to the Hain Celestial Group. Our strategy was to re-position the company away from its niche market of natural foods to the broader, mainstream market. We accomplished this by highlighting the company’s business achievements, reinforcing its authority as a pioneer in creating a new category of food, and educating consumers and the supermarket trade about the company’s products.
Working closely with company founder and CEO Yves Potvin, we developed and implemented a strategic business and marketing communications plan that identified the company’s key strengths and opportunities, and positioned it as a trail blazer in the mainstream market.
Whalebone also packaged Yves Veggie Cuisine’s story, highlighting the entrepreneurial strengths of the company’s founder, and submitted it for various business awards. The company received several national and international awards, including the Canada Awards for Excellence, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, a national award for Innovation and an international trade export award. Recognition from the awards reinforced Yves Veggie Cuisine’s credibility and authority as an industry leader.
We also identified and capitalized on unique opportunities for the company to tell its story to the media. Arranging for Yves’ veggie dog to be sold in San Francisco’s famous Candlestick Park – the first vegetarian hot dog to be sold in a major league baseball stadium in the US – having it selected as the Official Veggie Dog for Paul McCartney’s North American concert tour in the mid-1990s, and featuring the veggie dog on the “Taste of New York” television show are just some examples of our success in this area.