Plant-Based Brand Smart Dog Fixes Tattoos at Pop-Up

Fun fact: Americans eat an estimated 20 billion hot dogs every year, and some people are such super fans that they have images of the summer barbecue staple tattooed onto their bodies. But that artwork can go awry. That’s where Lightlife is stepping in, launching a one-day pop-up shop for its plant-based Smart Dog brand on Friday in New York with celebrity tattoo artist Bang Bang, who will clean up the old tattoos and try to make them palatable to the eye. The stunt, engineered by the brand’s parent company Greenleaf Foods, touts Smart Dog’s new cleaned-up label. The product has removed carrageenan as part of Greenleaf’s pledge to cut artificial ingredients out of its broader product lineup and simplify their labels. A tattoo popup “felt like an uncanny and fun way to celebrate the release of our newly reformulated products,” Greenleaf CEO Dan Curtin told Adweek. “In both instances you are taking something people already love—their tattoo or their favorite plant-based protein—and cleaning it up to make it even better.” Bang Bang and his staff will be revamping tattoo fails for five people, chosen through an Instagram contest, and inking one winner with a custom-created Smart Dog tattoo. There will be swag giveaways and fresh-cooked Smart Dogs on site for the public. “I thought this would be a fun way to do something different and unexpected for both hot dog and tattoo lovers,” Bang Bang said. “I was excited to do it with a brand that cares as much about improving their craft over time as I do.” Another fun fact: Food tattoos are quite popular, according to Bang Bang, and not just for professional chefs. The artist said enthusiasts often ink themselves with their favorite food items and ingredients, with uneven results. “What I find a lot with food tattoos is that there’s a lot of poor composition, which is why so many of them need touching up,” Bang Bang said, noting that he’s prepped for the challenge of “something complex or interesting” to redo on Friday. Cleaning up the process Greenleaf, a major player in the exploding plant-based category, had commissioned a study last year that found consumers were asking for simpler, more recognizable ingredients, Curtain said. The company started retooling its product line, first with the Lightlife brand of faux burgers, grounds and sausage, taking out ingredients like maltodextrin and eggs (making the items vegan-friendly). At the same time, Lightlife bought a full-page ad in the New York Times, USA Today and other national publications attacking its competitors as “food tech” companies that “attempt to mimic meat at any cost.” The open letter started a high-profile food feud, with clapbacks, name-calling and a backlash to the backlash that eventually involved Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat and Planterra Foods. Curtin said that was the start of a year-long process to clean up his portfolio’s products. “We want plant-based protein to be better and more appealing for everyone,” he said. “And that can only happen when we all rise to meet consumers’ demands and challenge each other to evolve, innovate and, in this case, make things simpler. When that happens, the category grows and consumers win.” Alpha Foods’ Seed Kits Show Consumers What Its Plant-Based Products Are Made Of

Plant-Based Products

Plant-Based Brand Smart Dog Promises to Fix Bad Tattoos With Pop-Up Stunt

The event touts the company's new, cleaned-up label

T.L. Stanley

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T.L. Stanley