Danone is unveiling its biggest marketing campaign built around plant-based yogurt, highlighting the product’s protein content.

The company’s new pea-protein-based Silk yogurt innovations are available in Key Lime and Vanilla flavours. Silk is also introducing an improved recipe, along with new flavours and sizes for its current range of coconut plant-based yogurts.

Danone’s Silk Yogurt campaign is supported by a full integrated (360) national marketing campaign including OLV, social, PR and premium TV partnership in addition to sampling, in-store POS and e-commerce, with the hero spot talking about feeling “planty good.”

“With this launch, we are proud to announce our use of Canadian pea protein to create a great tasting, high in protein product that supports local sourcing and production,” says Fiona O’Brien, director of marketing plant based for Danone.

The CPG is bringing the majority of its Silk yogurt production to its local manufacturing plant in Boucherville, Quebec, informed by research that consumers are looking to purchase products sourced and produced in Canada, as well as products that help them achieve their daily protein intake.

“We’ve designed our packaging to lead with the protein and probiotic references, to meet consumer demands, while keeping the bases of the yogurts visible on our packaging,” O’Brien says.

On pack, the new pea-based yogurt has a prominent 12 grams of protein call out, reinforcing the protein-centric hero spot.

“While Silk has high brand recognition in Canada, we’ve designed our product packaging to lead with their unique offerings, be it protein, probiotic or zero sugar,” O’Brien says.

The new line also has couponing shelf talkers urging buyers to “try the high protein goodness of plant-based yogurt,” and for the revamped coconut line, calling out “zero sugar goodness.”

O’Brien notes that protein content continues to be important for consumers, citing 2023 Dalhousie Agri-Food Analytics Lab insights that 61% of respondents reported reducing their meat consumption, and 42% declared consuming a dairy alternative.

The plant-based sector’s momentum is ongoing, with 40% of Canadians actively trying to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets, the National Research Council Canada finds.

As Canada’s interest in plant-based foods increases, there is a demand for more flexibility and versatility in diets, O’Brien explains. Canadian dietary guidelines are now encouraging more protein food consumption from plants.

In the past three decades, Danone Canada’s brand Silk has pioneered what O’Brien calls a “plant-based revolution,” delivering other plant-based dairy products.

Its new yogurt offering is made for “plant-based and plant-curious Canadians,” O’Brien says.

Havas, Carl Social Club, Wavemaker and National are the agencies involved in the campaign.