Cultured meat is only taking its first step in a big world of food production and consumption. With the Mammoth Meatball we targeted the consumer and make them question the way we eat. The world got to know cultured meat and shifted negative associations into anticipation to try it.

By tapping into the consumer insights, we started a new conversation. Making a direct connection between the target group and cultured meat online, via press and in a museum. A statement that can stand up against massive meat lobby and directly impact the way people think about and consume food today.

1 million species are at threat of extinction, with food production as a substantial driver. 14.5% of all human-caused global greenhouse gas emissions attribute to meat production. Growing meat consumption also results in inhumane conditions for animals. While ecological and ethical boundaries are met, human evolution rages on. By 2050, we'll need two planets to feed our growing population. At least, without radical and urgent changes.

But alternatives are on the rise. Cultured meat reduces the impact on the environment, is cruelty-free and can be designed to be preferable in both taste and nutritional value.

Yet Singapore still stands alone in having legally approved cultured meat for commercial sale. Global legalization and acceptance are being held back by a powerful meat lobby and the public perception of inability to change. We teamed up with ‘Vow’, international experts and scientists to change the debate and the willingness to eat differently.

The woolly mammoth is a symbol of loss and what drastic impact climate change can have. Could this giant become a beacon of hope for the future of food? Using new and innovative technology, the mammoth meatball was created, starting from the DNA of the extinct woolly mammoth. Illustrating the potential to eat ourselves out of extinction.

We sparked hope by making the seemingly impossible happen. And turned what is no longer here, into an icon of today: a meatball. A popular dish for people all over the world who make their own version of it. An accessible dish, simple to make and affordable; exactly what we hope for cultured meat products in the future.

The creative idea is not designed to make people eat mammoth meat, but to open perspectives. Uniting complex innovations with an easy concept makes people question our today and consider future alternatives.

Consumers were little aware of Cultured Meat and its benefits compared to real meat and plant-based alternatives. Instead of telling them how cultured meat can change our future. We needed to show we can. Even when legislation, lobby groups or public perception are not on our side.

Our message: the future of food needs to be questioned and changed.

With cultured meat as a more sustainable, ethical and feasible alternative.

Instead of targeting the happy few with power to make a change – we targeted the critical mass to start a cultural change. A PR-launch during the food futurism event was the starting point to grab attention. A campaign website and the residency of the meatball at Museum Boerhaave fueled the discussion with facts. The meatball functioned as a statement that encouraged people to get involved in the conversation and highlight the urgency to change towards the legislative framework.

Building a consumer relationship started by developing the meatball as a conversation starter. The first steps were to identify the Mammoth gene, finding the right DNA sequence to cultivate meat, completing gaps in the DNA sequence with the genome of the African elephant. To finally insert the gene into a cell to be grown and multiplied, just like a mammoth would have done naturally.

The campaign that turned the piece of meat into a story was prepared to magnify the reveal on March 28, 2023. During the Food Futurism event, experts and thought leaders shed a light over the innovation from their perspective to capture different angles. We connected with major press titles to get the story started. From here on the public debate was supported with a campaign website, a campaign movie and by displaying the actual meatball in museum Boerhaave.

By creating a direct connection with the audience we made them experience an alternative food future. Via social media, a website, a campaign video, and the exhibition people could interact with the subject on different levels.

By only using PR, we reached 13 billion impressions. 12.500 written articles and global broadcasts amounted to an advertising value of $120 million. Being skyrocketed, the Mammoth Meatball found its way to social media feeds of people globally.

We got the world to know cultured meat and changed its negative associations into anticipation to try. After seeing the campaign, 80% recognised the negative impact of the current meat industry on the environment and biodiversity loss and nearly 7/10 people perceived cultured meat as being nutritious, safe, healthy and tasty. Making 3/4th of respondents indicating cultured meat as an exciting, sustainable & realistic alternative.

The result: 95,7% increase in willingness to try cultured meat.

Global issues like global warming, biodiversity loss and animal cruelty have increasingly occupied the cultural debate for years. Nevertheless, we see that meat consumption (one of the biggest drivers in these issues) is reaching peak heights. People are driven to make a change, but often feel powerless to make a difference, hold big corporations responsible or are hesitant to break their known patterns. Cultured meat has the potential to build a more sustainable and ethical future, but has failed in the past to become relevant for people. By connecting an unknown and complex innovation to an easy concept, we made the benefits of cultured meat comprehensive and relevant. By tapping into the drivers and barriers for change, awareness for cultured meat increased, and perception shifted from something outside their reach – to a feasible alternative that could make a difference without giving up on the flavors and certainties they love.

The call for eating less meat has never been louder. Yet the average global meat production has quadrupled since 1961 and is now at an all-time high.

A study in the Dutch market showed the perception of cultured meat is more negative when it comes to health, safety, naturalness and tastiness compared to meat, fish and plant based alternatives. This shows a big gap needs to be filled to increase the willingness for people to convert to cultured meat as part of their diet.

The inability to fulfill the expectations raised by the plant-based alternatives hype (Beyond Meat, Impossible) made skepticism about meat alternatives grow with investors, press and public opinion. Leading press titles refer to cultured meat as the ‘next hope’, but it needs to build its image on the exchange failure and backlash of the unhealthy character of those who went before.