How Violife is tapping into Election Day frenzy by distributing free bagels and dairy-free cream cheese
Retail brands have been largely quiet about the election this year, but one brand is leaning into the voting theme without picking a side.
On November 5, dairy-free cheese brand Violife is distributing free bagels and cream cheese in New York City, Miami and Austin to hungry voters. The New York pop-up trucks will be located near polling stations, according to the company. In Miami and Austin, Violife has partnered with local bagel shops to help give their customers free bagels, as well as exclusive cream cheese flavors. The activation is part of Violife’s “America Has Voted” campaign running this fall, which kicked off in September. It is tied to the fact that its “Just Like Cream Cheese” product recently took the top spot as the top-selling dairy-free cream cheese in the U.S., according to Nielsen data.
The Nielsen data showed that, as of October 5, Violife’s dairy-free cream cheese accounted for 32.1% of retail unit share in the alt cream cheese category for the previous 26 weeks. Violife’s products are sold at major grocery chains like Target, Walmart and Kroger, with the majority of sales coming from retail.
The full “America Has Voted” campaign features an additional out-of-home component in Austin and Miami, with digital kiosks and billboard displays of Violife’s election-themed slogans. Examples include “The winning candidate whose smear tactics won the nation” and “#1 no debate.”
Online, Violife is running social ads on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube that parody typical election campaign-style videos. The brand collaborated with content creators to develop episodic campaign content throughout the fall. In-store activation also took place across the country.
“We really want to draw inspiration from the current election cycle without taking a stand or taking a bias,” said Monica Bordin, head of North America commercial operations at Violife. “We wanted to use statements like ‘we are the winning candidate that can be bought’ and other slogans that bring a lighthearted approach to our campaign.”
Bordin said the free breakfast idea was inspired by a statistic showing one-third of Americans actually skip breakfast during election day because they are rushing to get through their routine and still vote. “We partnered with a few bagel shops both in Miami and Austin to have limited-edition flavor options of our cream cheese,” she said.
Violife is feeding New York voters by giving out bagels from Utopia Bagels paired with Violife’s dairy-free cream cheese. The New York City trucks will be parked near Columbus Circle, in Downtown Brooklyn, and in Tribeca starting at 7 a.m. while supplies last. In Miami and Austin, Violife’s bagel shop takeover began on November 4 at Miami’s El Bagel locations, where Violife offered two exclusive flavors, roasted garlic & chive and guayaba. Austin’s Rosen’s Bagel Co event will feature Texas-inspired flavors, the Texas pecan pie and roasted lime, poblano and scallion; the first 100 customers will get free bagels.
For the election day activation, Bordin said, “It’s important to let people know that we are not positioning it at actual polling locations, so we are not going to be in the lines.” Instead, the truck locations are a few blocks away and near subway stations to catch commuters.
Tara Foster, CPG advisor and former COO at plant-based food startup Nutpods, said that “brands have to find more creative ways to do things because digital marketing is becoming more expensive and competitive.” That means developing more distinct eye-catching imagery as well as meeting potential customers at physical touchpoints.
“There is only so much refrigerated space for dairy-free products in the store,” Foster said. “Brands have to stand out with their marketing in this category.”
Bordin said that so far, the company has received good feedback online and in-person, both in regard to the campaign’s theme and the taste of the product. “We look at increases in sales as one of our biggest metrics, and we are now there with growth,” she said.
“We are trying to also use this campaign and all the learning to keep building bold campaigns and innovative flavors going forward,” Bordin said. “This was about taking advantage of the current moment but never taking any sides.”