Mushroom Council resumes promotions
Mushroom Council resumes promotions
The Mushroom Council in Dublin, CA, will resume national promotions on Jan. 1, 2006. "We're back in business," Jim Angelucci, chairman of the Mushroom Council, said Sept. 23.
The council received word Sept. 9 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that it may resume promotional activities at the dawn of next year. The Mushroom Council lost the right to promote on June 25, 2001 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory assessments under the USDA's program for promotional activities were unconstitutional.
At that time, a firm that has since gone out of business sued the USDA, claiming it unconstitutional for a private company to be required by law to pay into a national marketing order that promotes mushrooms.
The Supreme Court granted that argument against the Mushroom Council, which was authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research & Consumer Information Act of 1990. On May 23, 2005, however, another legal case granted the Livestock Marketing Association and the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion & Research Board the right to resume promotions. The Beef Promotion Board is established under the same marketing order rules as the Mushroom Council. Therefore, the Mushroom Council has now received similar clearance.
The Mushroom Council has continued operations over the last four years, focusing on the research activities it was permitted to pursue to benefit the nation's mushroom growers.
Mr. Angelucci told The Produce News that the council will be applying the lessons it learned from that research to make the most effective national mushroom promotion.
Mr. Angelucci, who is the general manager of Phillips Mushroom Farms in Kennett Square, PA, said, We were cautiously optimistic following the beef promotion ruling that the Mushroom Council would be able to resume promotions.
Mr. Angelucci said that the "Mushroom Council board has voted to increase the assessment to start consumer promotions and a little bit of advertising. We want to build a foundation to assure we regain what we lost in consumer awareness and get on the right foot again. The Mushroom Council board has appointed a marketing advisory committee to include nine people from various companies throughout the United States in the mushroom marketing realm. This advisory committee will meet October 18 in Philadelphia to advise the council "on what to do moving forward. Basically it will be a brainstorming session that will make recommendations to the council.
He said that the industry, through the Eastern Mushroom Marketing Council, is already working with Lewis & Neale in national public relations and with California foodservice promotion expert Marilyn Dompe. The Mushroom Council will resume its work with these two groups "to really hit the ground running on January 1, Mr. Angelucci said.
The Mushroom Council is, however, opening its promotions to other agencies and is requesting proposals this fall. First, he said, "We have to wait until the beginning of January, then we will broaden the scope of promotional activities in all sectors: in retail, foodservice and consumer promotion advertising. He noted, "We are a small board, and our budget will not allow major TV advertising, so we will rely on public relations. We will focus on getting the message to the consumers. All research indicates that mushrooms are an impulse item. He said that one of the council's marketing consultants observed that if a shopper plans a steak and mushroom dinner, "they never forget to buy the steak. Consumers will be reminded by the Mushroom Council's promotions to also remember to buy mushrooms.
Mr. Angelucci said that the Mushroom Council is a growers' organization, "but a lot of the major and small companies have companies in trenches doing the marketing. We want their [marketing firms'] feedback on what is the right way to go. Hopefully there will be a consensus. The council may or may not act upon those ideas.
In the search for the best agency and promotion program, Mr. Angelucci said, "Lewis & Neale has been doing this for a long time. They are the incumbents and will be given due consideration. The reason we're doing this is we have to exercise our responsibility to represent the industry and assure we have the best-possible plan moving forward. The agency review process "helps keep everybody excited about moving forward.
Mr. Angelucci said that the Mushroom Council board will meet in January in Atlanta to review proposals. He said that the council has already met a Nov. 1 deadline to have a 2006 budget to submit to the USDA. "If they approve what we have put in so far for a cursory promotion plan to get started, in January, we will expand that. Mr. Angelucci said that the Mushroom Council hopes to have all plans established in January.
The Mushroom Council has a nutritional advisory panel that will help with the direction of the promotion plans, which will have a heavy nutrition emphasis. Mr. Angelucci noted that there is little point in having growers try to pick the best nutritional messages when the council can tap the expertise of professionals from around the country who can choose to focus on the best and latest scientific information.
The initial Mushroom Council plans will look toward and beyond 2012 "so we can build a plan from our starting point rather than reinvent it every year.
Mr. Angelucci said that there is an enormous amount of data available on mushroom nutritional information. This is very good for the industry because "now we can go out and tell consumers. We couldn't do that after 2001.
When The Produce News reached Mushroom Council President Bart Minor by phone on Sept. 26, he said he was "just off the phone talking to an inquiring agency that wants to file a proposal to represent the Mushroom Council in the future.
He said that "one or some agencies will be so chosen at the Jan. 12 meeting in Atlanta, and added that the Mushroom Council will spend the remainder of this year reviewing these proposals. "The most exciting thing about being back in business is having the ability to talk to the consumer again, he said.
During its promotional hiatus, the Mushroom Council did a great deal of research on mushroom category management and studying retail best practices and cold chain management, all of which were integrated into a comprehensive program by the Mushroom Council.
"If a consumer can not find what they want in the condition they want it on the retail shelf or in restaurants, all the communications in the world won't do much good, he said. "Our wealth of information on foodservice and retail management is certainly going to be integrated into our program and useful in helping the trade be ready for the consumers we'll be bringing to their store.
Mr. Minor expected to hear from the USDA at any time to receive approval on the new budget that has been proposed by the Mushroom Council.
The council received word Sept. 9 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that it may resume promotional activities at the dawn of next year. The Mushroom Council lost the right to promote on June 25, 2001 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory assessments under the USDA's program for promotional activities were unconstitutional.
At that time, a firm that has since gone out of business sued the USDA, claiming it unconstitutional for a private company to be required by law to pay into a national marketing order that promotes mushrooms.
The Supreme Court granted that argument against the Mushroom Council, which was authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research & Consumer Information Act of 1990. On May 23, 2005, however, another legal case granted the Livestock Marketing Association and the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion & Research Board the right to resume promotions. The Beef Promotion Board is established under the same marketing order rules as the Mushroom Council. Therefore, the Mushroom Council has now received similar clearance.
The Mushroom Council has continued operations over the last four years, focusing on the research activities it was permitted to pursue to benefit the nation's mushroom growers.
Mr. Angelucci told The Produce News that the council will be applying the lessons it learned from that research to make the most effective national mushroom promotion.
Mr. Angelucci, who is the general manager of Phillips Mushroom Farms in Kennett Square, PA, said, We were cautiously optimistic following the beef promotion ruling that the Mushroom Council would be able to resume promotions.
Mr. Angelucci said that the "Mushroom Council board has voted to increase the assessment to start consumer promotions and a little bit of advertising. We want to build a foundation to assure we regain what we lost in consumer awareness and get on the right foot again. The Mushroom Council board has appointed a marketing advisory committee to include nine people from various companies throughout the United States in the mushroom marketing realm. This advisory committee will meet October 18 in Philadelphia to advise the council "on what to do moving forward. Basically it will be a brainstorming session that will make recommendations to the council.
He said that the industry, through the Eastern Mushroom Marketing Council, is already working with Lewis & Neale in national public relations and with California foodservice promotion expert Marilyn Dompe. The Mushroom Council will resume its work with these two groups "to really hit the ground running on January 1, Mr. Angelucci said.
The Mushroom Council is, however, opening its promotions to other agencies and is requesting proposals this fall. First, he said, "We have to wait until the beginning of January, then we will broaden the scope of promotional activities in all sectors: in retail, foodservice and consumer promotion advertising. He noted, "We are a small board, and our budget will not allow major TV advertising, so we will rely on public relations. We will focus on getting the message to the consumers. All research indicates that mushrooms are an impulse item. He said that one of the council's marketing consultants observed that if a shopper plans a steak and mushroom dinner, "they never forget to buy the steak. Consumers will be reminded by the Mushroom Council's promotions to also remember to buy mushrooms.
Mr. Angelucci said that the Mushroom Council is a growers' organization, "but a lot of the major and small companies have companies in trenches doing the marketing. We want their [marketing firms'] feedback on what is the right way to go. Hopefully there will be a consensus. The council may or may not act upon those ideas.
In the search for the best agency and promotion program, Mr. Angelucci said, "Lewis & Neale has been doing this for a long time. They are the incumbents and will be given due consideration. The reason we're doing this is we have to exercise our responsibility to represent the industry and assure we have the best-possible plan moving forward. The agency review process "helps keep everybody excited about moving forward.
Mr. Angelucci said that the Mushroom Council board will meet in January in Atlanta to review proposals. He said that the council has already met a Nov. 1 deadline to have a 2006 budget to submit to the USDA. "If they approve what we have put in so far for a cursory promotion plan to get started, in January, we will expand that. Mr. Angelucci said that the Mushroom Council hopes to have all plans established in January.
The Mushroom Council has a nutritional advisory panel that will help with the direction of the promotion plans, which will have a heavy nutrition emphasis. Mr. Angelucci noted that there is little point in having growers try to pick the best nutritional messages when the council can tap the expertise of professionals from around the country who can choose to focus on the best and latest scientific information.
The initial Mushroom Council plans will look toward and beyond 2012 "so we can build a plan from our starting point rather than reinvent it every year.
Mr. Angelucci said that there is an enormous amount of data available on mushroom nutritional information. This is very good for the industry because "now we can go out and tell consumers. We couldn't do that after 2001.
When The Produce News reached Mushroom Council President Bart Minor by phone on Sept. 26, he said he was "just off the phone talking to an inquiring agency that wants to file a proposal to represent the Mushroom Council in the future.
He said that "one or some agencies will be so chosen at the Jan. 12 meeting in Atlanta, and added that the Mushroom Council will spend the remainder of this year reviewing these proposals. "The most exciting thing about being back in business is having the ability to talk to the consumer again, he said.
During its promotional hiatus, the Mushroom Council did a great deal of research on mushroom category management and studying retail best practices and cold chain management, all of which were integrated into a comprehensive program by the Mushroom Council.
"If a consumer can not find what they want in the condition they want it on the retail shelf or in restaurants, all the communications in the world won't do much good, he said. "Our wealth of information on foodservice and retail management is certainly going to be integrated into our program and useful in helping the trade be ready for the consumers we'll be bringing to their store.
Mr. Minor expected to hear from the USDA at any time to receive approval on the new budget that has been proposed by the Mushroom Council.
