A cultured response to a world food crisis.

The brief to Ogilvy PR was simple: make laboratory-grown meat appetising.

Simple, but not easy. To many, ‘laboratory’ and ‘meat’ make a yucky pairing. Getting the world interested would take some doing.

Maastricht University in the Netherlands had developed cultured beef as a possible solution to a looming food crisis. Although promising first steps had been taken, there was far to go and investors were needed.

For the announcement, Ogilvy PR chose an iconic food: the beef patty. A single (very expensive!) cultured beef patty was readied for unveiling in London at a media event in the format of a TV cooking-show. Two hundred international journalists saw a TV presenter, chef and tasters serve up the first live tasting of a new way of life.

Live feed went free to the world’s broadcasters. Twenty-six of the world’s most influential newspapers featured the event on their front pages. Over a thousand broadcasters aired the content. Cultured beef trended globally in 150 countries. A simple cookout changed the global discourse on food.

The cultured beef project has secured long-term funding that will see it onto the market.