Fresh from Mexico promotions catching on with retailers
Fresh from Mexico promotions catching on with retailers
The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas in Nogales, AZ, which represents over 100 U.S. member companies involved in growing, packing, sales and transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in Mexico, is continuing its "very popular promotion outreach to retailers" this year, said Veronica Kraushaar, owner of Viva Marketing, which represents the association in some of its promotional activities.
The retail outreach consists of "incentives to promote 'Fresh from Mexico,'" she said. "We have seen a tremendous amount of interest the past three years we have been doing this."
Since the program began, participation has increased from only "a handful" of retail chains to "30 or so," she said. "These folks are doing volume incentives. They are doing ads with Mexico on them, or they are [providing] some information on their web site about Mexico" as a consumer outreach.
As the program continues, it is also expanding in the scope of activities it encompasses. This year, for the first time, the association is doing in-store radio as a pilot program, Ms. Kraushaar said. "Basically, we have targeted the Midwest, which is one of our more challenging markets." The pilot is timed to coincide with "the peak of the tomato season, which is right now," she said in mid-February. It will run for 30 days in some key stores. "We are going to use, for the first time in the ads, the word Mexico" by identifying the advertised products as "produce from Mexico."
The new pilot is a follow-up to a recently completed study to gauge the perceptions of consumers regarding produce from Mexico. The study involved over 1,000 consumers responding to a 10-question survey. "The premise of this study was to prove that consumer perceptions improve with education," Allison Moore, interim president of the association, said in a Jan. 30 press release. "In this case, the results showed us that programmed learning improves attitudes. Once consumers were informed about the details of the Mexican produce industry, the number of those with negative feelings declined, while those with already positive perceptions increased."
The study found that 84 percent of respondents "purchased more or the same amount of produce from Mexico" in 2007 compared to 2006, and 95 percent said they intended to buy the same or more this season.
Tomatoes, grapes and cucumbers were the top Mexico produce items consumers said they intended to buy more of. Others were cucumbers, peppers, melons, avocados, squash, mangos, eggplant and onions. The study was "a big step for us," said Ms. Kraushaar.
She noted progress in retailers' willingness to make mention of Mexico in their ads. "We are seeing a lot more creative ads" coming from the retailers for Mexican produce, she said. "It is clear that retailers are buying" products grown in Mexico. "It is just a matter of [their] feeling comfortable about admitting it."
"Another thing that we are working on right now on the promotional side in conjunction with Viva Marketing is a consumer affairs directors tour to Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, where much of the spring produce is grown," Ms. Moore told The Produce News.
The retail outreach consists of "incentives to promote 'Fresh from Mexico,'" she said. "We have seen a tremendous amount of interest the past three years we have been doing this."
Since the program began, participation has increased from only "a handful" of retail chains to "30 or so," she said. "These folks are doing volume incentives. They are doing ads with Mexico on them, or they are [providing] some information on their web site about Mexico" as a consumer outreach.
As the program continues, it is also expanding in the scope of activities it encompasses. This year, for the first time, the association is doing in-store radio as a pilot program, Ms. Kraushaar said. "Basically, we have targeted the Midwest, which is one of our more challenging markets." The pilot is timed to coincide with "the peak of the tomato season, which is right now," she said in mid-February. It will run for 30 days in some key stores. "We are going to use, for the first time in the ads, the word Mexico" by identifying the advertised products as "produce from Mexico."
The new pilot is a follow-up to a recently completed study to gauge the perceptions of consumers regarding produce from Mexico. The study involved over 1,000 consumers responding to a 10-question survey. "The premise of this study was to prove that consumer perceptions improve with education," Allison Moore, interim president of the association, said in a Jan. 30 press release. "In this case, the results showed us that programmed learning improves attitudes. Once consumers were informed about the details of the Mexican produce industry, the number of those with negative feelings declined, while those with already positive perceptions increased."
The study found that 84 percent of respondents "purchased more or the same amount of produce from Mexico" in 2007 compared to 2006, and 95 percent said they intended to buy the same or more this season.
Tomatoes, grapes and cucumbers were the top Mexico produce items consumers said they intended to buy more of. Others were cucumbers, peppers, melons, avocados, squash, mangos, eggplant and onions. The study was "a big step for us," said Ms. Kraushaar.
She noted progress in retailers' willingness to make mention of Mexico in their ads. "We are seeing a lot more creative ads" coming from the retailers for Mexican produce, she said. "It is clear that retailers are buying" products grown in Mexico. "It is just a matter of [their] feeling comfortable about admitting it."
"Another thing that we are working on right now on the promotional side in conjunction with Viva Marketing is a consumer affairs directors tour to Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, where much of the spring produce is grown," Ms. Moore told The Produce News.
