Changing Minds on Sustainable Palm Oil

Client: Malaysian Palm Oil Council

Palm oil has been subject to much controversy and debate over the last two decades, but is one of the most misunderstood commodities in the world. Public perception had hardened around the belief that palm oil is inherently destructive, shaped by years of activism and headlines. This posed a critical issue for our client, where the sector represents a significant portion of GDP, exports, and supports the livelihoods of millions of smallholders.

Despite significant improvements in environmental and labour standards, corporate messaging was failing. People didn’t trust industry voices and many didn’t even understand what palm oil was, let alone that sustainable palm oil existed.

SPQR and the client adopted a radically different approach. Early campaign phases had established credibility through independent scientific voices. As the programme evolved, insight revealed Gen Z as the most open audience for change.

During the entry period, the strategy deliberately focused on Gen Z, using TikTok as the primary channel with food, cooking and lifestyle content creators in as the core messengers. The client relinquished creative control, allowing creators to embed evidence-based information into everyday narratives using culturally relevant formats.

This creator-first approach sustained and extended sentiment change in the face of persistent activist narratives. In the entry period our campaign generated

17 million social media impressions across the UK, Netherlands and Belgium

Positive sentiment in consuming palm oil increased 5% YOY amongst UK 18 -24yos (validated by YouGov)

Creators changed the debate where corporate voices could not.