Ronald McDonald, Colonel Sanders Say Alpha Foods Tricked Them Into Eating Vegan

It's the battle of the fast-food mascots against a major vegan brand, or at least that's what Alpha Foods wants you to think. In an apparent prank campaign, Alpha wants consumers to think that it;'s being sued because it tricked the major mascots of fast food companies into thinking its vegan chicken and meat alternatives are the real thing.

In the height of silliness, the campaign fictionalizes a scenario in which three big fast-food mascots – including KFC’s Colonel Sanders, Wendy of Wendy's, and Ronald McDonald – have launched a class-action lawsuit that blames the California-based Alpha Foods, maker of vegan chicken, for tricking the fast-food figureheads into eating vegan, without knowing it.

Alpha Foods launched the fictional lawsuit as part of its latest campaign to promote its new plant-based products, claiming that the vegan meat alternatives taste so close to the real thing that even the most famous meat lovers would be convinced. The ad campaign aims to address both meat-eaters and flexitarians, hoping to persuade consumers who avoid vegan products who fear sacrificing flavor and texture when switching to plant-based foods.

“You don’t have to change your entire diet and personality when you try plant-based—just change up what you eat on a Wednesday night,” Alpha’s Chief Marketing Officer Kierstin De West said. As the flexitarian movement grows, there’s never been a better time to try something new that’s good for your body—it’s all the benefits without the sacrifice.”

The ad campaign will also be reaching out directly to consumers, allowing them to give plant-based foods a chance through the Alpha Foods product selection. Consumers will be given the chance to experience the same shock as the three fast-food mascots featured in the fictional litigation. The lawyer in the advertisement calls for everyone watching to “Help me hammer Alpha Foods so bad that no one will ever again be victimized by a plant or any number of plants.”

Viewers are instructed to join the class-action suit by calling 1-833-NO-PLANTS or register at the Alpha Foods website to join the fictional lawsuit. By registering, consumers will be instead rewarded with a free Alpha Foods burrito or a $1 coupon for any Alpha Foods product from its website.

Alpha Foods’ central mission aims to reach out to all consumers, providing a sustainable food alternative to everyone. The company argues that its alternative meat products are what “a meat-eater eats when a meat-eater doesn’t eat meat,” aiming to bring the plant-based market closer to all consumers.

“We believe that no matter if you’re a vegetarian, a pescatarian, a lacto-ovo-choco-taco-tarian, or just a plain ol’ fooditarian, anyone can enjoy Alpha plant-based products without any of the strings attached,” Alpha Foods’ website reads. “That means you can have a big juicy burger one night and a plant-based burrito the next, no eyebrows raised, no titles given, all health and environment benefits included. No matter what you eat, when or why you eat it, all eaters can enjoy Alpha.”

Before the fictional lawsuit, Alpha Foods launched another campaign to convince meat-eater to try the company’s plant-based substitute. Earlier this summer, the international chicken market experience a price surge, and the vegan brand decided to counter this price rise by dropping the price of its own plant-based chicken. The company deemed the rapidly rising prices “chickenflation” for the advertisement campaign. Alpha Food allowed customers to discount their purchases by 30 percent to counter the inflation that quadrupled chicken prices.

“In the past few months, chicken prices have skyrocketed, leaving consumers looking for alternative options,” De West said in July. “By lowering the price of our plant-based chik’n products in line with chickenflation, we’re encouraging people to try something new, without the pressure of changing their entire diet.”