Leading salad brand Florette is bringing the viral #SaladTok phenomenon into the real world with a bold new summer campaign celebrating the ‘Summer of Salads’ and the rise of bigger, bolder, maximalist serves.
At the heart of the campaign is an immersive one-day-only experiential activation, designed to show how social media is transforming the way consumers - younger shoppers in particular - think about, build and enjoy salads.
Opening its doors on Tuesday (July 28), #SaladTok IRL will sample a limited number of salads and juices inspired by some of the internet’s most talked-about recipes, showing how fresh leaves can form the foundation of bigger, bolder salad occasions and helping shift perceptions of the category.
The event marks a major consumer-facing expression of Florette’s refreshed brand platform, ‘Crafted by Nature, Perfected by Florette’, and follows new consumer research revealing that just 13% of Brits prefer salads with one to three components, while 82% favour salads with four or more.
The findings from Florette highlight the growing popularity of the maximalist salad trend and a significant shift in attitudes towards the category, with more than half (57%) describing traditional three-ingredient salads as uninspiring, outdated or better suited as a side dish.
For retailers, the research points to a clear opportunity to merchandise fresh leaves as part of complete meal solutions. Protein (45%), bold dressings (33%), crunchy toppings (33%) and standout leaves (27%) were identified as ingredients that make salads feel more exciting and satisfying, creating opportunities to drive trade-up through cross-category merchandising.
The activation also taps into the growing influence of social media on food discovery. Three quarters of consumers (75%) discover recipes or food trends on social media every week, while 84% have acted on food content they’ve seen online by purchasing ingredients, recreating recipes or changing planned meals. Among 25–34-year-olds, that figure rises to 94%.
Polly Davies, Head of Category & Marketing at Florette, said: “Our #SaladTok IRL campaign is rooted in fresh consumer insight into how salad perceptions, trends and consumption habits are evolving, and builds into a bold experiential activation designed to bring those shifts to life.
“We’re seeing shoppers move beyond simple side salads and embrace bold, flavour-packed meals inspired by the maximalist salad trend. Social media has played a huge role in driving that shift, encouraging consumers to recreate exciting, meal-worthy salads at home.
“Our refreshed brand platform, ‘Crafted by Nature, Perfected by Florette’, is about inspiring people to enjoy salad more often by showcasing the versatility of fresh leaves. With the Summer of Salads upon us, we’re shaking up the category and creating new opportunities for retailers to drive growth.”