“The idea of experiential marketing like this is really important because people want to know their brands a little more intimately. People want to support brands that they feel like they understand and trust. And by having a little more area, a little more opportunity for dialogue, we get that opportunity to get in and get people to know us a little better.”
–Hugo Perez, Chief Storyteller and VP-Marketing, ZENB
The plant-based food movement is thriving, but many consumers are still skeptical about the category, especially when it comes to replacing traditional food staples with plant-based alternatives. So ZENB, which makes pasta out of 100-percent yellow peas, rolled out a nationwide Pasta Lounge Tour, anchored by a custom-built, high-grade mobile kitchen, that hit the road with a mission to help attendees at events like the New York City Wine & Food Festival “Eat Like it Matters.”
Beginning in August, ZENB stopped at popular events, festivals, farmers markets and grocery store parking lots in markets like Chicago, Denver, Austin and New York, with a variety of products to sample and a brand story to tell about crafting nutritious foods that “don’t compromise on taste or texture.” Halfway through the campaign, the brand had been so successful that it extended the tour through the end of 2023.
Sampling Strategies You Might Like:
- Experiential Sampling: Five Brands Savoring the Comfort Food Trend
- Plant-based JUST Egg Invites Consumers to Taste the Future of Food at Music Festivals
Even at bigger foodie festivals, it was hard to miss ZENB’s bright yellow footprint, or the lines that inevitably formed around it as attendees caught wind of the brand’s complimentary, full-size samples. Those who stopped by were greeted by music, a screen displaying brand content and benches that were incorporated to increase dwell time. They were then welcomed by a brand ambassador who told the story of ZENB’S yellow-pea pasta—how it’s high protein, high fiber, gluten-free and vegan, but has the texture of typical wheat pasta. (The BAs were also trained to gather feedback as soon as consumers had tasted a sample.)
“The American consumer is becoming more and more conscientious about the food they put in their mouths, and in the past, it was these very traditional vegan or vegetarian kind of meals that they were like, ‘I’m not sure what it is, but I’m going to eat it because it’s better for me,’” says Hugo Perez, chief brand storyteller and vp-marketing at ZENB. “Now what the American consumer is saying is, ‘Make my comfort foods, and foods that I know, better for me.’”
Chefs dish out fresh ZENB spaghetti samples every 30 minutes thanks to a fully functional, high-grade kitchen.
After interacting with an ambassador, attendees were ushered to the back of the Pasta Lounge Tour vehicle to a walk-up counter, where they received a full serving of ZENB spaghetti. And here’s where the fully functional prep kitchen was critical: The brand dished out fresh, piping-hot samples every 30 minutes like clockwork to ensure every single attendee experienced the product at its optimal temperature and taste. As they waited for their food, attendees could take in their surroundings and learn more about ZENB and where its yellow peas come from thanks to wall graphics and brand messaging. Full-size ZENB products were also available for purchase at select events.
“More and more, people want to just hang out and learn,” Perez says. “And oftentimes, what happens is one person will have a sample, they enjoy it, and then they’ll run out, grab some other people and they come back. So we have been creating these little footprint areas that people can come and hang out… The idea of experiential marketing like this is really important because people want to know their brands a little more intimately. People want to support brands that they feel like they understand and trust. And by having a little more area, a little more opportunity for dialogue, we get that opportunity to get in and get people to know us a little better.”
As of mid-October, ZENB had activated at 38 events in four states, dished out 29,000 cooked samples and interacted with nearly 300,000 consumers. Peas of cake. Agency: Agency H5.
The nationwide tour has stopped at events like VegFest Colorado and the New York City Wine & Food Festival.
