EXCLUSIVE: Conversation Lab wins Fry Family Food Co's global digital business

Uyanda Manana, managing director, Conversation Lab South Africa

Conversation Lab, with its footprint in SA and UK, has been appointed by Fry’s as its SA digital agency following a client-run pitch process. The engagement includes campaign strategy and development as well as all organic and paid digital media, website management and analytics.

Media Lab (Conversation Lab groups paid media specialist agency) will undertake all paid digital media across Australia and South Africa. In addition to the full-service offering in South Africa, the agency has also been entrusted with SEO across all core regions including USA and UK.

Started in 1991 as a family-run business, Fry’s is now sold around the world. The business, recently acquired by international plant-based food group LIVEKINDLY Collective, was born out of the Fry family’s passion to source and make delicious and nutritious plant-based foods for themselves and their children.

Today the global market for a plant-based lifestyle is expanding rapidly due to several factors, including growing consumer concerns on the environment, health and wellness, ethics, and diversity in protein sourcing. According to recent research by Mintel, the market is predicted to hit $74bn by 2027.

LIVEKINDLY Collective Africa’s head of marketing, Amy Chu, said: “We knew from our first engagement with the Conversation Lab global team that they were the perfect fit for our brand and ethos. The agency aligns perfectly with what we are trying to achieve with the plant-based food revolution. Its depth and breadth of expertise all under one roof coupled with extensive experience with similar global brands made the decision very easy for us.”

Uyanda Manana, managing director, Conversation Lab South Africa, said: “As an agency, we are making a deliberate effort to align with purpose-driven and like-minded clients and businesses as we grow and expand our offering both locally and globally. Working with a brand like Fry’s and LIVEKINDLY Collective is the sweet spot. Fry’s has all the ingredients to lead the conversation in this disruptive category and we look forward to helping the company on its journey to make plant-based food alternatives accessible to all.”

Work on the brand has already begun with a website relaunch planned for the coming months.