Vegan food has been trending for years, but most brands in the space preach to the converted. To make veganism mainstream, the world needs products that meet the needs of the fast food market: taste, convenience and price. NXT LVL PZA set out to do exactly that, with pizza so good that people wouldn’t realise, or care, that it’s vegan.
We were involved from the very beginning, helping founder Fabio Matticolio fine-tune the product (which meant eating a lot of pizza and inventing silly names for the menu) and the target market: 16 to 25 year olds who regularly order from Domino’s and its rivals. Together we built a go-to-market strategy around an asset-light dark kitchen model.
Our strategists also brokered brand and product partnerships with 16 alt-protein leaders, so NXT LVL could serve the tastiest new ingredients at lower cost while borrowing the equity and credibility of names like Beyond Meat and THIS. The result was the world’s first secretly vegan D2C pizza company, making ethical eating as inclusive, easy and fun as the audience’s favourite hobby, gaming.
For the brand, our designers built a rebellious identity with a Gen Z focus, breaking the pattern of identikit do-good vegan brands with a bright, attention-grabbing palette. Gamer culture and anime inspired a vibrant system of HUD-style graphics, typography and stickers.
Gen Z meat-eaters weren’t the only audience. A more sustainable approach to fast food, with 100% recycled packaging, meat-free ingredients and biodegradable sauce sachets, spoke to flexitarians who want to cut their impact without compromising on taste, while a secret brand ambassador programme looked after vegetarians and vegans.
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Fabio Matticolio, Founder, NXT LVL PZA
After launching in November 2021, the pilot location ranked among the top 10 best-rated pizza concepts on Deliveroo in its south-west London area, out of 105, with a 4.6 star rating from 350 orders. The Soho pop-up went one better, winning coverage in the Metro, MyLondon and BuzzFeed. Our coverage of the brand’s events and pizza parties on TikTok and Instagram built the hype, while paid campaigns and email marketing drove a steady stream of traffic to the website and ordering platforms.
We also worked closely with Fabio on funding, creating decks, graphics, pitch videos and investor emails. The funding push combined a Crowdcube campaign with private investment, backed by plans to open 10 delivery locations across London.
Outfly, a London brand, marketing and product agency, worked with founder Fabio Matticolio on NXT LVL PZA’s strategy, brand, launch and crowdfund from the very beginning.
NXT LVL PZA makes vegan pizza for mainstream fast food customers, so good that they wouldn’t realise, or care, that it’s vegan.
Its pilot location ranked among the top 10 best-rated pizza concepts on Deliveroo in its south-west London area, out of 105, with a 4.6 star rating from 350 orders, and the Soho pop-up won coverage in the Metro, MyLondon and BuzzFeed.
We created decks, graphics, pitch videos and investor emails for its Crowdcube campaign and private investment, backed by plans to open 10 delivery locations across London.
