The Jersey Fresh“The Jersey Fresh marketing strategy features digital advertisements that appear on laptops, phones, and tablets as well as digital billboards on some of the most traveled roadways in the country along with radio, print advertising, and bus tails,” he noted. “We are featuring a social media trivia contest to celebrate our 40th year. Along with flying billboards along the Jersey Shore beaches during the summer months, we also featured three different promotional days at three boardwalk sites to promote blueberries, tomatoes, and most recently peaches.
“As we did last year, we are working with the New Jersey Apple Industry Advisory Council on a social media campaign to help promote pick-your-own events, recipes, apple holidays, and health information.”
The NJDA team also continually strives to bring Jersey Fresh to all who want it by working with and establishing relationships between farmers and restaurants, schools, colleges, big box stores, local communities, hotels, hospitals and more.
Officials at the NJDA also stress that growers must become licensed to use the Jersey Fresh logo on their packages. The logo indicates that the contents meet quality standards equal to or better than U.S. No. 1. This inspection standard adds a quality assurance note to the overall Jersey Fresh marketing program that is welcomed by wholesale produce buyers and consumers who want high quality products that are uniformly sized and consistently packed.
Over its history, Jersey Fresh officials and the state’s Department of Agriculture have spent countless hours and invested millions of dollars to create and promote the brand as well as communicate the importance of buying local products and supporting New Jersey farmers.
They note that, according to a recent survey, the Jersey Fresh brand presence is strong, and both awareness and purchasing of the brand is high. Jersey Fresh retains a very positive image similar to that of other produce giants. The study also shows that consumers associate Jersey Fresh labeling with freshness and local production. Produce identified as Jersey Fresh like tomatoes, corn and blueberries are more likely to be considered superior to those of other states.
Atchison added that there are no plans to slow down promoting New Jersey products through the Jersey Fresh campaign.
“We at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture are dedicated to continuing to support all of the growers and industry councils in New Jersey in every way possible,” he said. “We will continue with our annual Jersey Fresh campaign, council marketing initiatives, produce safety programs, Made with Jersey Fresh outreach and more. We will make every effort to explore new avenues to gain additional awareness for the best produce there is — Jersey Fresh.”
