Sojasun trolls the manosphere in its latest campaign by Marcel Agency

Sojasun has launched a provocative new campaign created by Marcel Agency that takes aim at the online manosphere and its long-running obsession with the term “soy boy”.

The campaign sees France’s pioneering soy brand attempt to recruit prominent men’s rights activists as Sojasun ambassadors — or “SoyMen” — in a tongue-in-cheek effort to challenge stereotypes around soy and highlight the high-protein credentials of its products.

The creative draws on a curious contradiction at the heart of manosphere culture.

Sojasun takes on manosphere

While many of its influencers champion high-protein diets, soy has become a frequent target of ridicule, with the term “soy boy” widely used online as a pejorative label for perceived weakness or femininity.

Rather than ignore the trend, Sojasun decided to confront it head-on.

For its new campaign, Sojasun wanted to prove that its products are high in protein, easy to digest… but not for the manosphere.

How? In collaboration with the ad agency Marcel, Sojasun gently trolled men’s rights activists by inviting them to become Sojasun ambassadors — in other words, to become SoyMen.

Sojasun reached out to them through every possible channel: By email, sending them the storyboard for the campaign; Commenting under their TikTok videos; by inserting itself into the pre-rolls of their YouTube videos to rally their communities: parking an impossible-to-ignore truck nearby; and by making symbolic donations during their Twitch livestreams.
Sojasun even tried to sneak into their Spotify playlists.

But despite all these imaginative efforts, they all categorically refused.

So the conclusion became obvious: Sojasun is packed with protein, but it’s not made for the manosphere. And that’s perfectly fine.

As the first expression of a new strategic direction, this campaign reflects Sojasun’s ambition to become a brand that is as “part of culture” as it is food-focused: a brand capable of engaging with contemporary culture, playfully hijacking social codes, while remaining faithful to its founding values.

Values that promote social and environmental progress and advocate for a high-quality approach (nutritional value, clean labelling, strict product standards, non-GMO ingredients, etc.).

Vanessa Chabrel, Managing Director of the Plant-Based Division at Olga, said: “When Marcel first presented the creative idea, I thought it was brilliant — it immediately felt obvious, and I approved it right away!

“There’s negative buzz surrounding soy today. We couldn’t just let it happen without reacting. Soy really is an amazing protein. And it’s perfect timing, as everyone today is looking to increase their protein intake…”

Antonin Jacquot, Creative Director at Marcel, said: “I’ve never worked on a product that combines so many qualities, made and grown in France, plant-based, high in protein, while also being criticised so heavily.

“Within manosphere communities, it has even become an insult: ‘soy boy.’ But for us, being hated by these people felt more like an opportunity than a problem. And we were lucky enough to work with incredibly brave clients who chose to confront it rather than bury their heads in the sand.”