Oatly Asks….'Are You Stupid?’
Malmö, Sweden, January 25th, 2021. Oatly, the original Swedish oat drink company, has launched its first European-wide creative campaign to ask one very simple question... Are You Stupid?
The creative is in response to amendment 171 (AM 171), which the European Parliament has voted yes to and will next be decided by the EU Council of Ministers. Amendment 171 is calling for heavy restrictions of plant-based dairy and is supported by the European Dairy Association who are claiming that current packaging and marketing guidelines are ‘misleading’ to consumers. So misleading in fact, that the amendment calls for it to be made illegal for plant-based products to reference dairy in any way. Phrases like “dairy-free” or ”creamy” could be banned. Packaging could need to be changed - even climate footprint comparisons comparing the emissions to dairy could no longer be allowed.
Oatly, however, is pretty confident that people across the continent are able to distinguish between entirely different products. But in order to double-check, Oatly is asking the public to confirm.
Oatly’s series of digital ads feature the responses of real people, from a study which lasted a week, and included 12 focus groups with people from 17 countries, aged 21-64. After spending 11 hours asking the same question in multiple different ways - guess what? People still could tell the difference between plant-based and dairy products and it wasn’t misleading at all.
Eva, aged 62, from Hungary said, “It’s a cow on the package so it’s pretty obvious.”
In fact, one focus group person commented on how AM 171 would actually make trying to choose plant-based products more difficult;
Daniel, aged 40 from Sweden, commented, “They are removing everything that helps the consumer to navigate easier...this does not help the EU goal of consuming more plant-based”
In situations including no light, without reading glasses, and after a tiring and hectic day at work. You guessed it - people could still tell the difference between plant-based and dairy.
The new creative from Oatly highlights the absurdity, and contradictory messages from the EU, which would actually leave consumers more confused when choosing products to buy. Wider campaign activity includes a physical sampling of alternative Oatly packaging post-171, sponsored ads, and Are You Stupid tests (don’t worry, they’re pretty easy to pass).
Tobias Nordström, Head of Planning at Oatly commented, “It’s one thing for us at Oatly to know the impact AM 171 can potentially have on people trying to choose plant-based foods, but we wanted to speak directly to the people who will be affected by this - ordinary people - to understand whether AM 171 is actually in their best interest. It was clear consumers already understand the difference between plant-based and dairy products, and that the restrictions AM 171 threaten to impose will actually make consumer choice more complicated. It’s quite absurd to us, as the EU’s mission of increasing plant-based consumption for the climate will be heavily compromised should this amendment be passed”.
The campaign spans owned, paid digital, social influencers and PR. Oatly has also launched a petition in partnership with Proveg and Upfield to stop Amendment 171 on the grounds of plant-based censorship and is urging the food industry and public to sign and spread the word. It’s time to stop the plant-based censorship.
It’s time to take action.
- Sign and share our petition
- Tweet #StopPlantBasedCensorship #StopAM171
About Oatly
Oatly is a world leader in the global sustainability movement, promoting the benefits of plant-based eating from both a nutritional and sustainability standpoint, in order to create positive societal change. The company was founded in the 1990s and is based on original scientific research from Lund University. Today, the company offers a broad range of nutritious and sustainable oat-based products which utilise a patented enzyme technology that copies nature’s own process and turns fibre-rich oats into nutritious liquid food designed specifically for humans. Oatly currently employs about 800 people throughout Europe, North America, and Asia, with global headquarters in Malmö, Sweden, and regional offices in New York, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. www.oatly.com