eCommerce Success Case NotCo (2)
Miguel Nicolás
24/03/2026
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Let´s finish this NotCo eCommerce success case by talking about its communication strategy.
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In the previous part of the NotCo eCommerce success case, we presented the idea and the people behind an innovative project.The premise is to use AI to design plant-based foods (or vegetable-based), seeking to replicate and improve the consumer experience of animal products. Something so groundbreaking, and so well executed, that it has become a revolution, attracting investors and public attention alike.In this second post, we are going to focus on its way of communicating, which is really interesting. The tone and type of content are as unconventional as its own products.We are going to see how NotCo’s “non-products” are sold.
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A reflection on sales and communication channels
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The title has turned out very solemn, but it is worth thinking about how and where they sell their products, to better understand the approach they take to different audiences.
Basically, NotCo uses 3 channels to sell and distribute its products:- eCommerce: obviously, it has its own online store, which they use to sell most of their range on the Internet.
- Retail: they do not have their own stores, but they do sell through large supermarket chains and food stores.
- Foodservice collaborations: with the need to offer healthy alternatives growing every day, they have reached many agreements to supply their products to important food franchises.
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INSIGHT: a multichannel strategy requires a very strong brand that stands out on supermarket shelves, and that is also attractive to be purchased online in its own store.
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Positioning and tone
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All brands are positioned within a certain spectrum depending on their characteristics and their strategic objective.We could define NotCo as a tech-food company that uses ingredients based on natural products, which consequently makes it a sustainable brand.Think about any competitor of NotCo, anyone who sells organic products, sustainable processes… almost all of them resort to a communication universe in which they talk about people who work with their hands, livestock farmers, farmers, communities and local agricultural operations. The axis of their communication is, in short, the rural world and we could even say awareness-driven outreach. Do you recognize NotCo there?Obviously not, they focus on the power of AI to change the products we eat, without changing the experience. In fact, they are closer to a tech startup than to a vegan supermarket.
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INSIGHT: if we had to summarize their mission and vision in one sentence, we could say that they reproduce animal-origin foods using Artificial Intelligence, to improve their environmental impact.
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This way of understanding the business clashes a bit with the way of communicating, because you might think they become “brainy” or use technical jargon, but quite the opposite.This brand communicates with a personality:
- Irreverent: they like to play with their audience, to surprise with a less solemn approach than that of other companies that project themselves as the ecological salvation of a world that you, as a consumer, are destroying. They prefer to simply be fun and disruptive.
- Aware: having said that, they have a genuine concern for the environment and animal welfare. They simply choose not to be moralizing and position themselves from a moderate and close activism.
- Innovative: they have created almost their own niche within plant-based, and they have achieved it from technical advancement applied to a traditional segment.
- Reflective: the fact of consuming their products implies a critical and rational decision. We are not facing an excessively emotional brand.
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INSIGHT: if the product is different, it will help you a lot that your way of expressing it reflects it in a coherent way. The audience empathizes better when this is aligned.
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NotCo’s communication
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Having said all this, we move on to see how this materializes in the ads and the content that the brand creates in the digital channel.If you know our blog, you already know that we always try to support each opinion with a real example.
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#1 - Own product
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Sometimes more subtly, other times directly. The important thing is to talk about our product to the right extent so as not to bore the audience, but without losing the perspective that we are here to build brand and highlight what we do.
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This example seems simple, but it is great because:
- Comparisons always work, and it does it in an elegant way, without personalizing in a specific competitor.
- Scientific arguments: when what differentiates you is science, prove it.
- Zero artifices: this image works very well because it conveys transparency at all times; a video with a very developed storytelling is not always necessary.
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INSIGHT: use all the formats and channels at your disposal; each one serves to reach a different audience.
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Another example with a different tone, more daring and more forceful:
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@thenotco Porque podemos, ya está aquí ???? ya lo probaron?
? sonido original - The Not Company -
- Visual impact: a totally different approach to the same thing. This ketchup is so healthy that you can put as much as you want.
- Simple narrative: you see it and understand it from second 1 to 17; it has no mystery, but it has a message.
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INSIGHT: it is obvious that at NotCo they know how to reach different audiences with different resources.
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#2 – Collaborations
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To a large extent, thanks to its success in the market, collaborations with other brands are common. This is worked extraordinarily well by the business team, but if it is not communicated properly, an important effect on the audience is lost.You have collaborations to choose from, from Doritos or Starbucks, to the favorite pastry chain in the United States: Krispy Kreme. But this one that we leave you here gives you an idea of how far their “tentacles” reach
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- Association: having your image associated with one of the “love brands” par excellence is a leap, but doing so with one of the most important premieres is already incredible.
- Product fit: choosing a sweet, but healthy snack is tremendously faithful to the Stranger Things audience: young and not so young nostalgic people who take care of themselves and their children’s diet.
- New audiences: this type of synergies between brands allows each one to reach the other’s audience.
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INSIGHT: this type of actions and communications not only have an important effect on perceived or projected authority, they also serve to create a transfer of values; Netflix is a global and fun brand and this impacts NotCo’s image.
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#3 - Outreach
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You may like it more or less, but when your strength mixes a sustainable ethical position and technology applied to food, outreach content is almost mandatory.It is not what they work on the most, but even so, on their YouTube channel you can find some small gems like this:
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- Perfect combination of values: in this video they not only show that an alternative to a food can be built, they also talk about why we should do it.
- Community and tradition: food is something deeply embedded in local culture. Foods tell our story and we may be reluctant to change it if it implies changing the experience. That is exactly what this video tells.
- Production: seeing the rest of the examples, it is easy to realize that they combine more elaborate productions when justified with simpler ones. They adapt to the channel.
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INSIGHT: almost three minutes of video can be an eternity today, unbearable for much of the audience that is used to jumping in 3 seconds to the next content and, in even less time, if it detects that it is an ad. But this type of material is very attractive and subtly builds brand while telling you a story in which the brand is the good guy.
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They also adapt and edit the videos so that they work on other platforms; see how they summarize it.
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@thenotco ¿Dónde la sopa de tortuga es tradición? En Piura, Perú. Por eso llevamos la sopa de #NotTurtle para que quienes viven esta cultura puedan contarnos qué les parece. #WhyNot #documentary #AI #aiforgood #ocean #fishing #nature #food #animals #vegan #conservation ? sonido original - The Not Company -
#4 – Challenges, trends and other native content
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Their TikTok channel is something very worth studying. They do a great job and show that they perfectly understand how it works and, most importantly, what works. The language, the type of content, the way they interact… I insist: it is a channel to watch closely.You can find things like:
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@thenotco ????Alerta concurso chori???? 99% de probabilidades de ganar ?? Tú también puedes ganar tu kit parrillero y merch oficial de NotCo haciendo tu propia prueba a ciegas con tu familia o amigos ?? Recuerda etiquetarnos y usar el hashtag #NotChori ?? El video con más likes se lleva el premio ?? así como @Carito Sepúlveda Tienen hasta el 14 de octubre para participar. Participa ahora! Sé un ChoriLover ???? #fyp ? sonido original - The Not Company -
- UGC: turning user-generated content into a marketing piece and improving it with a bit of context. Great move.
- Contest: they not only manage to generate engagement in that video, they also generate a dynamic with the product thanks to the hashtag #NotChori.
- Transparency: that is exactly what an opinion from someone outside the company’s marketing department provides.
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INSIGHT: on TikTok people are more reactive to content generated by people and in which one speaks directly to the camera.
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And to not go on much longer, I leave you other relevant content that shows how well they understand the platform, such as this one in which they use such a simple trend:
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@thenotco Lo único al 100% es tu energía luego de una barrita ????? porque si tomas 16g de prote y le sumas vitamina b6 tienes la combi perfecta??
? sonido original - The Not Company -
Interactions responding directly to users’ comments on their videos (by the CEO himself).
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@thenotco Ustedes nos preguntaron y obvio que respondimos ????
? sonido original - The Not Company -
Other content directly from the company behind the scenes:
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@thenotco Nuestro Big Boss (El colorín del video) andaba con antojo y nuestro equipo con ganas de sacar algo nuevo…perdonen pero así somos, también nos gusta chanchear y a ti? Cómo te explico que están más buenos que la rechucha! Pd: No tienen azúcar, ahí te la dejo.
? sonido original - The Not Company -
And this is recurring, coverage of events or presence in places where food is the protagonist, to interact with people and achieve spontaneous reactions:
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@thenotco Súbanse, todavía hay lugar para ser un ChoriLover este 18 ?????
? sonido original - The Not Company -
Keys to NotCo’s success
- Own technology as real differentiation: from the beginning they positioned themselves not only as a food brand, but as a technology company. Thanks to their AI (Giuseppe), capable of replicating animal products from plants, they achieved a competitive advantage difficult to copy and a much more powerful narrative than that of a simple plant-based brand.
- Product-centered innovation (not only in values): instead of basing their proposal only on sustainability or ethics, they have prioritized taste, texture and experience. Their objective has been that the consumer chooses the product because they like it, not because “it is the right thing”.
- Disruptive and accessible branding: they have built a modern, fun and not very rigid brand, moving away from the serious or militant tone of the vegan world. This broadens their audience and reduces the entry barrier for non-vegan consumers.
- Strategic alliances with large brands: collaborations with companies such as Burger King or Kraft Heinz have allowed them to scale quickly, gain visibility and validate their technology at a large scale.
- Global scalability from the beginning: they were born with an international mindset, adapting products to different markets (LatAm, USA, Europe) and relying on their technology to grow quickly and replicate successful models.
- Integrated purpose, but not leading: sustainability is in the brand’s DNA, but it is not communicated in a moralizing way. It is an implicit value that accompanies the product, not the only selling argument.
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What did you think of the NotCo eCommerce success case? What are your main conclusions?