CASE STUDIES
True Story Foods
Sustainability, Advocacy & Consumer Awareness
The Brief
True Story Foods is a premium meat company dedicated to producing organic, ethically raised pork. Their mission centers on delivering high-quality products that are hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and raised under humane conditions by a network of family farmers.
True Story Foods values transparency, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability, ensuring that every step of their process—from farm to table—upholds the highest standards of care for animals, people, and the planet. Their commitment to advocacy for humane farming practices and sustainable agriculture reflects their belief in providing customers with healthier, more nutrient-dense products.
The brand engaged us to research customer perceptions and values related to animal welfare, sustainability, and advocacy. They sought to understand whether their customers were aware of federal and state legislation regarding animal welfare and how these regulations influenced the quality and ethical standards of the pork they produced. Additionally, True Story Foods wanted to understand how it influenced their purchasing decisions.
Our Approach
We conducted an in-depth research project that involved both quantitative and qualitative methods to gauge customer understanding and sentiment. We assessed the level of awareness customers had around federal animal welfare laws and how this translated into their perception of the brand’s commitment to humane, sustainable farming practices.
Our findings revealed that while customers had limited knowledge of specific legislation, they placed significant value on hormone-free, antibiotic-free meat and equated sustainable farming practices with higher-quality, nutrient-dense pork products.
This insight led us to develop a content strategy that resonated with customers' health-conscious mindset while also educating them on the importance of humane farming practices, in alignment with True Story Foods' mission.
We carefully crafted website content, visually dynamic cooking guides, and custom social media messaging for social channels - LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok - ensuring the campaign seamlessly integrated with the brand’s established messaging.
Our Process
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We analyzed a wide array of sources, including client-provided documents, mainstream media reports, hundreds of articles, and a comprehensive review of the 150-page congressional bill. We also studied past legislation to understand why previous acts had succeeded at the state level, identifying key themes that resonated with lawmakers and consumers.
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To gauge public sentiment, we monitored social conversations across platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and TikTok. This helped us understand both the supporters’ and opposition’s perspectives on animal welfare legislation, revealing consumer attitudes, misconceptions, and the propaganda driving the debate.
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We delved into agricultural industry news, identifying major stakeholders on both sides of the policy debate. By organizing these points of view, we created targeted awareness strategies and informed the language for our content, ensuring it resonated with True Story Foods’ audience.
Results
The content strategy led to a noticeable increase in customer engagement across social media platforms, particularly on posts that focused on the health benefits of sustainably raised meat. True Story Foods also saw a significant improvement in customer awareness of their commitment to humane farming practices, with more meaningful interactions and inquiries about the company's values and product sourcing.
Additionally, the strategy enhanced website traffic, with users spending more time exploring pages that detailed the company’s ethical and sustainability efforts. Feedback and social conversations indicated a stronger connection between the brand’s values and the health-conscious preferences of their audience.
Learnings
The project underscored the gap in consumer awareness around federal and state legislation concerning animal welfare. While consumers prioritized sustainable and ethical practices, their lack of knowledge about the legal frameworks behind these practices indicated an opportunity for deeper brand education.
By framing the conversation around health benefits and ethical standards, we were able to bridge this gap in a way that felt relevant and relatable to the customer base. The strategy aligned brand advocacy with consumer values, not by changing the message but by ensuring the content resonates with what customers already care about—health, sustainability, and quality food.
Valeria Fiorito, VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy, True Story Foods
“The way Macala understood our business and customers was eye-opening.”
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