The Sprout Restaurant: Leg over

I'm a leg man, so I always appreciate a firm, shapely pair. But honestly, I'm getting bored. How much can you actually do with a leg? It's time to broaden my horizons. I'm looking for something new to love. Something exotic. Versatile.

The Sprout is a vegetarian restaurant in downtown St. John’s as renowned for its fresh, vibrant menu as much as it is for its lack of meat. Vegetarians in the city are already regular patrons of The Sprout, but in an effort to add more non-vegetarians to the restaurant’s client base, Target has produced a cheeky poster campaign. The idea draws a comparison between the lack of variety in the dating scene (the meat market) and the typical diets of most non-vegetarians in an amusing, irreverent way. It cheekily sells The Sprout as an opportunity to experience refreshingly different food that will open up diners’ horizons. With a strong sense of humour, the tone of the ads serves two purposes: First, it directly counters the (unfairly) negative stereotype of vegetarians as preachy and overly serious. Second, it’s sure to get the attention of downtowners – and to get people talking. With this in mind, three executions of the ads were placed around downtown St. John’s just before New Years Eve – with a focus on popular bars, clubs and other local businesses, targeting a young, socially active audience. Colourful coasters displaying text from the ads were also distributed. The No More Meat Market campaign sends the message that The Sprout is a vegetarian restaurant unlike any other, suggesting their food must be similarly unlike – and better than – any other vegetarian food the audience might have tried before.

Advertising Agency: Target, Canada
Creative Director: Tom Murphy
Creative Group Head: Jenny Smith
Copywriter: Sarah Park
Art Director: Natrix Ma
Photographers: Ned Pratt and Dejan Vuchichevic