Just Egg Trolls Congressmen for Denying Climate Change and Failing to Protect the Planet

Just Egg, a Silicon Valley-based food tech unicorn, could take a victory lap this spring, joining other plant-based brands in touting their eco-friendly bona fides like water saved, land spared and CO2 averted in making their products. Instead, the startup plans to use Earth Month as a bully pulpit for calling out U.S. elected officials—by name—for failing to protect the environment. The brand decided to troll lawmakers, with a dash of humor, on their own stomping ground in Washington D.C. as a high-visibility way to push global warming issues to the forefront, according to Tom Rossmeissl, Just Egg’s head of global marketing. “If you look at the recent U.N. report and the science, it’s now or never to address climate change—this is a really big moment for humanity,” Rossmeissl told Adweek. “We want to add our voice in a creative way to the growing chorus of Americans asking for action.” The pull-no-punches campaign publicly shames senators like Ted Cruz from Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas for how little they’ve accomplished. And it takes a jab at Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, who has called climate change “a discredited theory.” At the same time, the stunt weaves in a brand pitch and offers free food as an incremental fix, “pointing out the absurdity that a humble plant-based egg company has done more to protect our planet than Congress,” Rossmeissl said. Jokes with substance Out-of-home ads will carry carefully-worded jabs that read: “We’ve resorted to a billboard to get Tom Cotton to eat our eggs and finally do something good for the environment,” “Hey Rep. Biggs, we know that acknowledging climate change isn’t your thing, but maybe you can at least try these eggs” and, “So delicious it’ll make Ted Cruz begrudgingly combat climate change.” “Yes, we’re making jokes,” Rossmeissl said, “but we’ve put some substance around them.” The campaign isn’t meant to be partisan: Sen. Joe Manchin, a democrat from West Virginia, is also on the hot seat. The work, which comes from Just Egg’s creative agency Mythology, includes a food truck that will serve the scrambles, breakfast sandwiches and other dishes around Capitol Hill, at local metro stations frequented by legislators and other Beltway insiders and area colleges and universities. There will also be nighttime projections on local buildings, wild postings and influencer content to amplify the message for at least two weeks. QR codes and a dedicated website give consumers more information about climate collapse and provide a streamlined way for them to send messages to their representatives. “Protecting our planet requires more than just personal choices about the food we eat or the cars we drive—it requires policy makers and citizens to press for fundamental policy changes,” Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Just Egg's parent company Eat Just, told Adweek. “For us, this campaign is another way to sell more plant-based eggs, but it's also how we're trying to bring more awareness to something that is much more urgent than growing our business.” While the campaign is clever, it takes a risk by wading into political waters, according to Jeff Cantalupo, founder and managing director of Listen, a venture capital firm that invests in plant-based food startups. "Modern consumers want to feel good about choosing a brand that makes sense for the environment or a cause that's close to them," Cantalupo told Adweek. "But do I need my eggs to have a political stance? How does the snarky commentary position appeal to plant-curious eaters? This could land more as virtue signaling than brand building—not to mention the gas for the truck, which doesn't really jive with the climate message." Just Egg, which has a 98% market share in egg substitutes, has broken ground in the category with its attitude-filled, trope-busting advertising like the "Really Good Eggs" spots and sexy Valentine’s Day promos. The brand, now available in 43,000 retailers and 1,500 restaurants across the country, uses 98% less water and 86% less land and has a 93% smaller carbon footprint than conventional animal sources, according to the brand. Since its 2018 launch, it has sold the equivalent of 250 million conventional eggs, saving 43.6 million kilograms of CO2, 9 billion gallons of water and 13,446 acres of land. CREDITS: Agency: Mythology Founder, ECD: Anthony Sperduti Creative director: Audrey Attal Creative director: Kim Haxton Senior copywriter: Katie Tiambeng Senior art director: Brian Lim Account lead: L Parker Barnum Media: Known Director, media strategy: Antoine Abeille Senior out-of-home specialist: Alex Caldwell Senior director, client experience: Julia Kang Coca-Cola Wants You to Recycle Soda Bottles. That Won’t Keep Plastics Out of Your Body