09/12/2007
SUN VALLEY, ID -- The Idaho Potato Commission announced initiatives for its 2007-08 season that include the release of two new commercials with spokesperson Denise Austin and the launch of a major cable television commercial campaign expected to make over a billion consumer impressions nationwide.

The commission, which is now in its 70th year of operation, announced the developments as part of its overall action plan for 2007-08 during the 79th annual meeting of the Idaho Grower-Shipper Association, held here Aug. 29-31.

Frank Muir, president of the Eagle, ID-based organization, led the commission's presentation with an outline of its action plan for the 2007-08 season. Part of the plan is a 2.5-cent tax increase that would help restore the group's financial reserve and fund the consolidation with the Potato Growers of Idaho cooperative, and the use of $1.3 million to bolster its advertising plan.

Mr. Muir said that the commission is "doubling its media weight in heavy markets" because increased advertising over the past year has resulted in a 7 percent increase in consumption. The cable television campaign is scheduled to air on Fox News, CNN, the Food Network, the Weather Channel, HGTV, Discovery, Lifetime and FitTV.

Other media successes over the past year include 190 million public-relations impressions from spots that appeared in newspapers such as USA Today, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and on the giant screen in New York City's Times Square.

One of the stories that Mr. Muir singled out as having wide distribution was that of the U.S. soldier from Idaho who had the "Grown in Idaho" logo tattooed on his arm while in Iraq. He was joined by his two brothers, who also got the tattoo. The story was picked up by newspapers and media outlets across the country.

Another successful campaign for the commission was its YouTube video contest, which featured submissions about Idaho potatoes. Mr. Muir showed the top three entries -- a rap video, a video that featured story of a long-time Idaho potato family and one that showed a usage idea set to an Italian opera, complete with English subtitles -- to the group assembled in Sun Valley, which drew wide praise from the audience.

Mr. Muir also announced that Idaho potatoes will be featured this year on the Public Broadcasting Service's "Spotlight On" series, which feature spots several minutes long that are used to fill space between programs. He said that the spots will appear 500 times over a three-month period broadcast to a national audience of at least 3 million people. Additionally, PBS will run a spot on Idaho potatoes on its "Creative Living" series, where Mr. Muir himself will conduct a cooking demonstration.

Also in the offing is a feature in United Airlines' Hemisphere magazine, where a full-page ad for Idaho potatoes will appear along with a half-page editorial feature. The placements are specifically designed to combat the recent "locavore" movement, which is the term for those who prefer to eat locally grown food items.

"We want people to realize that Idaho potatoes are everyone's local potato," said Mr. Muir.

The Idaho Potato Commission also got involved with a segment on ABC Television's Extreme Makeover Home Edition, hosted by Ty Pennington, which constructs new homes for disadvantaged families. The segment will air Oct. 14.

The commission plans to conduct another YouTube contest as well as tie-in with the Boise State University football program again this season.

Mr. Muir said that the "Idaho" brand remains extremely strong, especially among the over-30 age group. He said that the YouTube campaign was designed to reach the under-30 demographic.

Also presenting on behalf of the commission was Seth Pemsler, vice president of retail for the IPC. With the stated objective of maintaining visibility and value to retail customers, Mr. Pemsler unveiled the commission's new trade advertising campaign, which features Idaho potato ads in a classic comic book look. The ads were produced in conjunction with the commission's agency, Evans, Hardy + Young.

The commission also plans to build on the success of Potato Lover's Month in February with a retail display contest that has been extremely successful during the past few years.

More retail tie-ins are also planned, which will give more visibility to Idaho potatoes at retail outlets. Mr. Pemsler said that the commission will work with Cheez Whiz, the National Pork Board, Concha y Toro and spice manufacturers on cross-promotions at retail.

For the upcoming Produce Marketing Association convention and exposition, the commission will feature a rodeo theme at its booth to capitalize on the Houston locale for the event.

Mr. Pemsler closed by touting the value of the commission's field team, which he called "the eyes and ears of our customers." This year, the commission will publish an annual calendar showing where the field team will be each week so that members can track sales and accounts to evaluate merchandising and promotion strategies and practices.

Don Odiorne, vice president of foodservice for the IPC, added in a short presentation that there are plans to boost initiatives for chefs as a way of increasing exposure for Idaho potatoes at foodservice. He said that improvements to the commission's web site (www.idahopotato.com) will attract visitors looking for information about usage ideas.