NAM kicks off Retail Display Contest
NAM kicks off Retail Display Contest
National Apple Month has kicked off its 2005 Retail Display Contest with a new national focus that should help supermarkets across the country boost apple sales and keep apples top of mind for consumers throughout the year.
This year's contest began Sept. 1 and will run through November, according to NAM Director Kay Rentzel. It is open to all retailers in the United States as well as all military commissaries in this country and abroad.
Until this year, prizes for NAM contest winners were awarded geographically, with separate winners in the East, Central and West. Beginning with the 2005 contest, this will change. "Weve restructured the program and gotten rid of the regional aspect," Ms. Rentzel told The Produce News Wednesday, Sept. 7.
Under the new contest rules, National Apple Month will award three overall health communication prizes of $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place. NAM will also award 25 prizes (with a top prize of $1,000 for first place) to large supermarkets defined as those with 10 or more registers and another 25 prizes (again with a top prize of $1,000 for first place) to small supermarkets defined as those with nine or fewer registers.
Five prizes will also be awarded to military commissaries, which compete separately from the retailers, as has been the case in previous years.
Also new this year: in conjunction with NAM's 100th anniversary, 100 photos from the contest will be published in The Produce News following the announcement of the winners.
To underscore the important health attributes of one of Americas favorite fruits, how the display conveys the healthy attributes that apples have will be a primary factor in judging that display. An independent panel of judges will select the winners in early January 2006, said Ms. Rentzel, with the winners announced no later than Jan. 31.
National Apple Month, under the auspices of the U.S. Apple Association in Vienna, VA, is 100 years old. A 25-year veteran of the apple industry, Ms. Rentzel has directed the promotional program for more than eight years.
It truly has grown to be more than just a fall promotion, she said. We now are doing things to assist the industry all year long.
The retail display contest should benefit more than just apples. There is great value in using partners like T. Marzetti and the National Peanut Board that provide an opportunity to increase retail sales, she said.
Consumers might not normally make the connection between apples and the products of those two sponsors, but with those products prominently displayed alongside apples, consumers see apples and our partners products right at the point of purchase, and they are more apt to put the three together.
And the effects are longstanding. Retailers have learned that [displays] mean substantial sales increases, said Ms. Rentzel, noting that participants who spent the time to build eye-catching displays in previous years saw sales increases of 15-23 percent year in and year out.
About 1,000 retailers enter the NAM contest every year. Apple associations in Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania have all integrated the NAM contest into their own fall marketing programs this year, said Ms. Rentzel. So it should be an outstanding year for us.
For more information on the 2005 NAM Retail Display Contest, contact Kay Rentzel at 717/432-0090.
This year's contest began Sept. 1 and will run through November, according to NAM Director Kay Rentzel. It is open to all retailers in the United States as well as all military commissaries in this country and abroad.
Until this year, prizes for NAM contest winners were awarded geographically, with separate winners in the East, Central and West. Beginning with the 2005 contest, this will change. "Weve restructured the program and gotten rid of the regional aspect," Ms. Rentzel told The Produce News Wednesday, Sept. 7.
Under the new contest rules, National Apple Month will award three overall health communication prizes of $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place. NAM will also award 25 prizes (with a top prize of $1,000 for first place) to large supermarkets defined as those with 10 or more registers and another 25 prizes (again with a top prize of $1,000 for first place) to small supermarkets defined as those with nine or fewer registers.
Five prizes will also be awarded to military commissaries, which compete separately from the retailers, as has been the case in previous years.
Also new this year: in conjunction with NAM's 100th anniversary, 100 photos from the contest will be published in The Produce News following the announcement of the winners.
To underscore the important health attributes of one of Americas favorite fruits, how the display conveys the healthy attributes that apples have will be a primary factor in judging that display. An independent panel of judges will select the winners in early January 2006, said Ms. Rentzel, with the winners announced no later than Jan. 31.
National Apple Month, under the auspices of the U.S. Apple Association in Vienna, VA, is 100 years old. A 25-year veteran of the apple industry, Ms. Rentzel has directed the promotional program for more than eight years.
It truly has grown to be more than just a fall promotion, she said. We now are doing things to assist the industry all year long.
The retail display contest should benefit more than just apples. There is great value in using partners like T. Marzetti and the National Peanut Board that provide an opportunity to increase retail sales, she said.
Consumers might not normally make the connection between apples and the products of those two sponsors, but with those products prominently displayed alongside apples, consumers see apples and our partners products right at the point of purchase, and they are more apt to put the three together.
And the effects are longstanding. Retailers have learned that [displays] mean substantial sales increases, said Ms. Rentzel, noting that participants who spent the time to build eye-catching displays in previous years saw sales increases of 15-23 percent year in and year out.
About 1,000 retailers enter the NAM contest every year. Apple associations in Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania have all integrated the NAM contest into their own fall marketing programs this year, said Ms. Rentzel. So it should be an outstanding year for us.
For more information on the 2005 NAM Retail Display Contest, contact Kay Rentzel at 717/432-0090.
