In a world where “plant-based” isn’t just a diet choice but a lifestyle movement, influencer marketing is more than just a trendy tactic—it’s a necessity for vegan and plant-based food brands. With the global vegan food market projected to soar to $37.5 billion by 2030, brands need to tap into the power of influencers to make their mark. But this isn’t your typical "shove the product in your face" approach—today’s consumers crave authenticity.
That’s why brands are leaning into deeper collaborations, where influencers seamlessly integrate products into their everyday lives, sparking genuine connections. It’s about real recommendations, not just paid posts. Plus, let’s not forget the rise of TikTok, micro-influencers, and those loyal-to-a-fault followers that hang on every word.
Take Baba Foods’ recent Tahini Smoothie launch, for example. This campaign turned influencers into authentic brand advocates, achieving a stellar 9.57% engagement rate and a ton of organic buzz.
Want to know how they did it? Keep reading to uncover the strategy behind their success and the most effective influencer marketing tactics in the vegan space!
- 1. The Power of In-the-Know Tastemaker Campaigns for Vegan Brands
- 2. Unlocking the Power of Data-Driven Influencer Selection
- 3. Building Brand Loyalty Through a Diverse Ambassador Program
- 4. Amplifying Brand Awareness with Diverse, Creative Influencer Partnerships
- 5. Creating a Buzz with Localized Influencer Campaigns
- 6. Creating a Multi-Touchpoint Experience
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. The Power of In-the-Know Tastemaker Campaigns for Vegan Brands
Forget what you think you know about influencer marketing for vegan brands. It’s time to get specific. We’re talking about turning tastemakers into your brand’s biggest advocates—not just through influencer outreach or product gifting, but by embedding your product into the lifestyle and identity of the influencer in a way that feels authentic and genuinely desirable.
What does that look like? Well, it’s about building deeper, almost intimate relationships with influencers who are already deeply connected to their audiences—not just by being “foodies,” but by genuinely sharing their values and dietary choices. This approach is effective when influencers seamlessly integrate your product into their lives, showcasing how it’s a natural fit in their day-to-day routines, whether through recipe demos, lifestyle vlogs, or behind-the-scenes content.
Take Baba Foods, for instance. This Finnish family-run business took a creative approach when launching their new Tahini Smoothie—a bold product for a brand known for its Middle Eastern-inspired vegetarian products like hummus and falafel. Instead of going the basic influencer route, they focused on a highly curated influencer selection process. The goal wasn’t just to have the product featured but to integrate it into the influencers’ routines as the go-to smoothie ingredient that adds a unique twist to a health-conscious lifestyle.
Baba Foods didn't just pick influencers—they chose the right ones who not only had the audience but who lived the lifestyle their brand spoke to. Through a mix of Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube content, these influencers weren’t just showcasing the product in a basic “here’s what I got” way.
Instead, they showed their followers how the Tahini Smoothie could fit into their own routines, from quick morning smoothies to post-workout boosts. The key here? Authenticity. These influencers didn’t just try the product—they made it a part of their story.
The campaign involved 12 handpicked influencers who genuinely aligned with Baba Foods’ plant-based, health-conscious ethos. These influencers didn’t just create a few posts—they seamlessly integrated the Tahini Smoothie into their real, everyday lives. Think TikTok videos where influencers shared their “smoothie prep,” with a casual yet aspirational tone, showing their followers how easy it was to enjoy this new, healthy product.
@karlakononen mainos: @Baba Foods 🍓✨ mie oon taas palannu takaisin normiarkeen Jyväskylään! treenit kulkee, kun on tahinismödet matkassa mukana!🤤💕 oli ihana viettää aikaa myös luokkakavereiden kanssa! #tahinismoothie #babafoods #opiskelijaelämää #treeni #foryou ♬ Chill Vibes - Tollan Kim
The results were stellar: 165 influencer applications, a 9.57% engagement rate, and an organic buzz that extended beyond the digital space. At an in-store tasting event, Baba Foods even heard feedback from consumers who recognized the product from a TikTok post by influencer Karla—proof that the influencers’ authentic promotion had crossed over into real-world recognition.
What made this strategy so effective was Baba Foods’ focus on creating community rather than just selling a product. They tapped into influencers’ genuine lifestyle influence and gave them a product that felt authentic to both the influencer and their audience.
Key Takeaway: Choose Influencers Who Live the Brand, Not Just Promote It
If you’re looking to take your vegan brand’s influencer marketing to the next level, think beyond the basics. Find influencers who not only align with your product but who live it. Engage them in a way that allows them to integrate your product seamlessly into their lifestyle, sharing its benefits with their followers in an authentic and relatable way.
2. Unlocking the Power of Data-Driven Influencer Selection
Success in influencer marketing often hinges on the clever and strategic use of data. By that, we mean using data to select the right influencers who will resonate with your target audience.
To achieve success, many brands are turning to data-driven influencer selection using intuitive platforms. The idea is simple: leverage influencer marketing platforms that provide transparent, real-time data about influencer profiles, audience demographics, and performance metrics.
This allows brands to cherry-pick influencers who are most likely to generate meaningful engagement, helping them reach the right people with the right message. Instead of relying on gut instinct or traditional methods, you’re making decisions based on actual metrics.
This is exactly what Kokkikartano, another Finnish prepared food brand, did with the help of Folk Finland and their use of Boksi, an influencer marketing platform that made influencer selection efficient, intuitive, and data-centric. By using Boksi’s user-friendly dashboard, Folk was able to assess which influencers were the best fit for Kokkikartano’s new vegetarian product line—and it paid off big time.
Kokkikartano, yet another well-known producer of ready-made meals in Finland, was launching a new line of vegetarian options. Despite their reputation, their plant-based products were still relatively unknown, so they needed to elevate the brand’s visibility. The challenge was finding the right influencers who could truly connect with people interested in healthy, ready-made vegetarian food.
Rather than running a generic influencer outreach campaign, Folk Finland used the Boksi platform to sift through influencer applications using detailed, real-time metrics. Boksi made it easy for Folk to assess not only an influencer's popularity but also their audience fit. From follower demographics to past campaign performance, Boksi provided transparency that ensured every influencer selected had the potential to drive meaningful engagement.
Through this data-driven approach, Folk Finland was able to select influencers who truly aligned with the brand's core values—such as plant-based eating and health-conscious living. The result was a seamless integration of Kokkikartano’s products into authentic content, from cooking videos to lifestyle shots featuring the brand’s meals.
And the stats spoke for themselves: the campaign earned a stellar 9.53% engagement rate and a whopping 326,000 impressions, all at an impressively low €0.62 per engagement.
Key Takeaway: Choose Influencers Based on Data, Not Just Follower Count
If you want to level up your vegan or plant-based brand’s influencer marketing efforts, start by moving away from guesswork and toward data-driven decisions. Platforms like Boksi allow you to select influencers who actually align with your brand’s goals and audience. This way, you’re not just working with influencers who look good on paper, but with ones who will truly connect with your target market and deliver the results you’re after.
3. Building Brand Loyalty Through a Diverse Ambassador Program
If you really want to spark brand love and loyalty for your vegan or plant-based foods business, you need a strategy that taps into authenticity. Enter the Ambassador Program, a strategy that recruits brand loyalists to become the face of your brand.
The key to success here is engaging a diverse group of ambassadors who represent different segments of your target audience. It’s not just about picking influencers with large followings, but about building a team of brand advocates who are already passionate about your product.
When ambassadors speak from experience and love for the brand, their content comes across as more authentic and relatable, sparking genuine connections with their followers.
This approach was executed to perfection by Alpro, a leading plant-based brand, when they decided to overhaul their influencer marketing strategy with a robust ambassador program.
Alpro’s goal was simple: boost brand loyalty and elevate brand perception. Instead of focusing on random influencer collaborations, Alpro set out to engage a group of influencers who already loved their products. These influencers didn’t just talk about Alpro—they used it, enjoyed it, and made it a part of their lives.
The campaign revolved around recruiting 12 ambassadors who were carefully selected to appeal to different segments of Alpro’s audience, including vegans, foodies, fitness enthusiasts, and nutrition experts.
This diverse group didn’t just promote Alpro’s products; they shared how the brand fit into their lives in meaningful ways. Whether it was showcasing how Alpro’s plant-based options fueled their workouts, incorporating Alpro products into their recipes, or sharing the health benefits of plant-based eating, the ambassadors made Alpro a lifestyle choice—one that was accessible to everyone.
The timing of the ambassador program launch was key—it coincided with Alpro’s “Eat Your Way to a Healthier You” campaign, which emphasized that health and taste don’t have to be mutually exclusive. The ambassadors communicated this message by showing their followers that enjoying plant-based foods could be as simple as it was delicious, without any compromises.
The results were staggering: Alpro saw an 89% uplift in brand perception (according to Nielsen), and 9 in 10 consumers said they would purchase Alpro during their next shopping trip. Even more impressive? The ambassador content reached 1.7 million people, with engagement rates doubling the average for Alpro’s content.
Key Takeaway: Build an Ambassador Program with True Brand Advocates
If you’re looking to elevate your vegan or plant-based food brand, consider creating an ambassador program that taps into real brand advocates. Instead of just reaching out to influencers with big followings, focus on recruiting people who are already passionate about your products. Make sure your ambassadors represent different segments of your audience—vegans, foodies, health enthusiasts—so you can reach a broader range of potential customers.
4. Amplifying Brand Awareness with Diverse, Creative Influencer Partnerships
For your brand to stand out, it's no longer enough to just send out free products and cross your fingers. You need a strategy that’s a little more out of the box—something that brings both creativity and precision to the table.
A strategy that works particularly well is to build diverse, creative influencer partnerships. What this means is working with a range of influencers to create innovative, authentic content that resonates with different segments of your target audience.
Rather than focusing solely on one type of influencer or content format, this strategy champions diversity in both creators and content. By partnering with influencers who represent various niches—such as foodies, fitness enthusiasts, health advocates, or even eco-conscious consumers—you can engage different audience segments, drive more varied interactions, and expand your reach exponentially.
The key is to let influencers bring their own unique voice and creative style to the brand, ensuring the content feels fresh and authentic.
Daiya Foods, known for its innovative plant-based products, wanted to boost brand awareness in a market that was already flooded with plant-based options. Instead of going the traditional route of reaching out to a handful of top-tier influencers, Daiya teamed up with Jive PR + Digital to create a dynamic influencer program that was as diverse as their customer base.
Their approach? Diverse, creative influencer partnerships. Daiya worked with a variety of creators—from foodies to fitness influencers to eco-conscious advocates. These influencers were encouraged to create unique, engaging content that would resonate with their specific audiences. Whether it was a fitness guru showcasing Daiya’s plant-based products as part of a post-workout snack, or a food blogger crafting a recipe video with Daiya’s cheese alternatives, the content was as diverse as the brand’s target market.
The results were spectacular.
In total, Daiya’s influencer content amassed 13 million views, 12.2 million impressions, and 9.6 million reaches. Engagements were equally impressive, with a staggering 1.1 million total engagements on content featuring Daiya’s products. Not to mention, the campaign achieved an incredibly low $0.78 cost per engagement and $0.06 cost per reach, making it a highly cost-effective strategy.
Key Takeaway: Diversify Your Influencer Partnerships to Reach a Broader Audience
If you're a vegan or plant-based food brand looking to break through the noise, consider diversifying your influencer partnerships. Work with influencers from different niches to create a variety of content formats—whether it’s recipes, workout tips, sustainability talks, or everyday lifestyle integration.
5. Creating a Buzz with Localized Influencer Campaigns
Some brands fall into the trap of targeting a broad audience and hoping for the best. But what if you could focus your efforts and get the most bang for your buck by dialing in on a specific geographic region? That’s where Localized Influencer Campaigns come into play.
By targeting influencers who are based in a specific area, you can tailor your message to resonate more deeply with a local audience, driving higher engagement, brand awareness, and sales within that area.
This strategy is especially effective in driving awareness within particular markets, such as a city or region. It allows brands to reach people who are not only geographically relevant but also more likely to engage because the content feels more relatable and grounded in their everyday lives.
A brand that used this strategy to great effect is Gardein.
Gardein, a brand that offers a wide variety of meatless products, wanted to highlight their plant-based offerings to Canadian consumers. But instead of going national, they chose to focus their influencer efforts on the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), a prime market for plant-based eating. Their goal was to emphasize the taste, texture, and nutritional benefits of their 100% plant-based protein products, positioning them as a perfect alternative to meat.
To achieve this, Peersway, the agency behind the campaign, tapped into 26 Canadian influencers based in the GTA. These influencers were selected not only for their reach but also for their authentic connection to the local audience. The influencers were asked to create engaging Instagram posts and stories showcasing Gardein products in their meals—whether it was a quick lunch or a hearty dinner.
The key was for these influencers to show how easy it was to incorporate Gardein products into their everyday meals while still enjoying the delicious taste and texture of meatless alternatives.
The influencers did more than just post about the products—they integrated Gardein into their lives, showing how it could be part of their regular cooking routines. Many influencers ended up sharing multiple Instagram stories and even posted multiple pieces of content, such as recipe ideas and meal prep tips. Their audiences got a genuine, firsthand look at how tasty and versatile Gardein products were—creating a buzz about the brand within Toronto.
The localized approach paid off. The campaign reached 293,000 people, with 42 Instagram Stories posted and 26 Instagram posts shared. With 16,000 views on Instagram Stories alone, Gardein's message hit home with the Toronto audience in a big way. Engagement was strong, with 9,268 total engagements across the content, which resulted in an impressive 3.16% engagement rate.
The campaign also boasted a low $0.38 cost per engagement, proving that a localized strategy can be both effective and cost-efficient.
Key Takeaway: Tap into the Power of Location-Specific Campaigns
If you’re a vegan or plant-based food brand looking to boost awareness and engagement in a specific region, consider launching a localized influencer campaign. Focus on influencers who are based in your target area and have a genuine connection to the local audience. Not only will your content feel more authentic, but it will also resonate on a deeper level, leading to higher engagement and awareness.
6. Creating a Multi-Touchpoint Experience
If you’re a vegan or plant-based food brand looking to really amp up your influencer marketing, here’s a strategy to steal: combining influencer marketing with in-person activations. This approach creates a cohesive experience where consumers can interact with your brand through multiple touchpoints—both online and offline.
The beauty of this strategy is that it doesn’t just rely on digital content to spread the word. By pairing influencer marketing with in-person activations, you create an immersive experience that builds real-world connections with your audience, while amplifying your reach online. It’s a mix of showing, telling, and tasting, and it’s especially effective when you're looking to introduce a product to a broader, more diverse audience.
Let’s look at how JUST Egg, a plant-based egg alternative, combined influencer marketing with in-person activations to drive brand awareness, create excitement, and generate a ripple effect among both plant-based foodies and non-vegan consumers.
When JUST Inc. relaunched its flagship product, JUST Egg, they didn’t just want to appeal to their usual vegan customers—they wanted to go broader. The goal? To create demand among a more general audience, including those looking for healthier and eco-friendly egg alternatives. The strategy? A mix of influencer marketing and in-person activations—a one-two punch of online buzz and real-world interactions.
To kick things off, Slide 32, the marketing agency behind the campaign, recruited 21 influencers spanning Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. These influencers ranged from massive foodies with over a million followers to smaller, more niche influencers with under 100K but high engagement levels.
The key was diversity: they included both vegan and non-vegan influencers, ensuring the product’s appeal wasn’t just limited to the plant-based crowd. The influencers were asked to create personalized content, cooking and tasting JUST Egg in their own kitchens, sharing recipes, and showing how the product fit into their everyday lives.
To make the influencers feel like VIPs, Slide 32 designed luxurious, branded parcels containing JUST Egg, cooking ingredients, personalized welcome notes, and influencer packets with posting guidelines and recipe ideas. This not only gave the influencers a branded experience but also made the content feel authentic and high-quality.
But the magic didn’t stop there. The campaign also included in-person activations: pop-up events in four major U.S. cities. These pop-ups weren’t just product demos—they were immersive brand experiences. Attendees got to taste JUST Egg firsthand, while also learning about the brand’s eco-friendly mission and health benefits.
The results of this combined strategy were nothing short of impressive. The campaign generated over 19 million impressions—four times more than the original goal. Influencers didn’t just post basic product reviews—they developed unique recipes that integrated JUST Egg into their everyday lives.
Key Takeaway: Combine Digital and Physical for Maximum Impact
If you're looking to make a splash with your influencer marketing campaign, consider adding in-person activations to your strategy. By blending influencer content with physical events, you create a more immersive, multifaceted experience that resonates deeply with your audience. This combination drives engagement online while providing an authentic, real-world connection to your brand.
Take Action with Smart Influencer Marketing Strategies
For vegan and plant-based food brands, influencer marketing is an essential tool to drive awareness and loyalty. By focusing on authentic influencer partnerships, data-driven selection, localized campaigns, and engaging ambassador programs, brands can create meaningful connections with their audience.
These strategies not only boost engagement but also build long-term success by fostering real connections with consumers. Leverage these insights to supercharge your next campaign and watch your brand thrive!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is influencer marketing effective for vegan and plant-based food brands?
Influencer marketing leverages the trust and reach of individuals who align with the brand's values, helping to authentically promote plant-based products to a targeted audience interested in vegan lifestyles.
How do I identify the right influencers for my vegan food brand?
Look for influencers whose values align with your brand's mission, have an engaged audience interested in veganism or plant-based diets, and produce content that authentically showcases your products.
How can influencer partnerships increase brand awareness for vegan products?
Collaborations with influencers expose your products to their followers, generating buzz, building credibility, and expanding your brand's reach within the vegan and health-conscious communities.
What types of content should influencers create for promoting vegan products?
Influencers can create recipe videos, product reviews, unboxing experiences, educational posts about the benefits of plant-based diets, and personal stories of transitioning to veganism.
What metrics should be used to measure the success of influencer campaigns?
Track engagement rates (likes, comments, shares), reach and impressions, referral traffic to your website, conversion rates, and the growth of your brand's social media following during and after the campaign.
Should I focus on local or global influencers for my vegan brand?
It depends on your target market. Local influencers are beneficial for regional promotions and community engagement, while global influencers can expand your reach internationally.
