Television ad campaign helps Florida tomatoes increase market share
Television ad campaign helps Florida tomatoes increase market share
NAPLES, FL -- Thanks in large part to a national television ad campaign, Florida field-grown tomatoes have enjoyed an increase in market share over rival hothouse-grown beefsteak and on-the-vine varieties, Samantha Winters, director of education and marketing for the Florida Tomato Committee, said at the group's organizational meeting during the 31st annual Joint Florida Tomato Conference held here Sept. 5-10 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Citing data from the Perishables Group's FreshFacts, Ms. Winters told those assembled at the meeting Sept. 7 that movement percentages for hothouse beefsteak and on-the-vine had fallen 11.8 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively, while field-grown had risen 2.5 percent from the second quarter of 2005 to the second quarter of 2006 -- the time period when the committee's ads would have had the most effect.
In the Southern Atlantic region, which includes Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, Ms. Winters said that the results were even more dramatic. Movement of field tomatoes increased 23.2 percent, while hothouse beefsteak and on-the-vine fell 18 percent and 20 percent, respectively, from the second quarter of 2005 to the second quarter of 2006, pushing field tomatoes to the rank of No. 1 in category share, up from the No. 3 spot.
"We took our message to the consumer that Florida tomatoes are flavorful, healthy and available," Ms. Winters said. "The outcome of our national campaign was that people talked and created a lot of buzz, enthusiasm and excitement, including heavy hitters such as The Wall Street Journal. Things don't really get bigger than this."
Ms. Winters said that retailers reacted very well to the campaign, as evidenced in the 4,079 point-of-purchase kits that were sent out during 2006 -- almost 2,400 more than the year before.
"Retailers' displays encouraged cross-promotional displays that really helped drive the message home," she said.
To help build on the momentum of the 2006 campaign, the FTC will continue using the 15-second ad spots, which were designed by SenaReider, a Monterey, CA-based advertising agency, and which show a red ripe Florida tomato on a white screen with a female voice-over with four catchy sayings such as "what hamburgers dream of" and "bag some lycopene to go."
The committee voted to air this year's campaign during the first two weeks of January, March and May on cable television channels similar to those used last year, such as the Food Network, Discovery Health Network, HGTV and the DIY Network.
"We are leveraging our creative investment by running for six weeks instead of eight," she said. "By running three two-week flights, we are intensifying our commercial concentration."
Ms. Winters said that during 2006, the commission had also engaged in other public relations efforts to have a dialogue directly with the consumer.
A press kit highlighting the diversity and versatility of Florida tomatoes was sent to 1,000 food editors and writers in the United States and Canada, who in turn wrote 195 news stories reaching an estimated audience of 8 million readers.
The committee hosted a nutrition brunch in New York City for food and health editors complete with a top researcher who presented the latest findings on tomato research.
The committee also held its annual student chef competition, which drew competitors from over 20 top culinary programs.
Ms. Winters said that the committee's export programs to Canada and Japan are "extremely important" and did quite well during 2006.
"Canada is our largest export market and Japan is an emerging export market," she said. "Sixty-eight percent of Canadian consumers prefer field- grown tomatoes. In Japan, tomatoes are now being served in convenience stores, fast-food [restaurants] and coffee shops. We are looking to set a sales record with 1,086 metric tons exported to Japan in 2006."
In contrast, only 21 metric tons of Florida tomatoes were exported to Japan in 1996.
"Our programs are building on the momentum of last season," she said. "We are doing a lot of retail and consumer work on growing our retail market share and export markets."
In other committee matters, George Hochmuth of the University of Florida's Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences presented a research report, funded in part by the FTC, on such topics as food safety, tomato breeding, pest management and the impact of increased harvesting efficiency.
Mr. Hochmuth said that an IFAS study on Salmonella survival on tomatoes showed that the bacteria can survive for long periods of time on intact tomatoes and increases in tomatoes with wounds.
"This poses a significant danger and we are stressing the need for culling out wounded fruit."
A study on sanitation options for E. coli on tomatoes showed that even small amounts of chlorine dioxide helped reduce bacterial contamination significantly and was "very effective in ridding soft rot from fruits."
Mr. Hochmuth noted that several breeding tomatoes for Florida were nearly ready for release, including "Crown Jewel," a Fusarium crown rot-resistant variety that was highly tolerant to graywall and Florida 8153. Also known as "Flora-Lee," the "Crown Jewel" is a "special heat-tolerant variety that was poised at the doorstep" with such characteristics as high lycopene, deep red fruit color and superior flavor that make it a great candidate for the premium tomato market.
IFAS was also working on a continued evaluation of tomato lines that "carry a much-improved flavor, sweetness and quality," he said.
Mr. Hochmuth also mentioned a study by University of Florida researchers that concluded that by reducing their harvesting costs by 10-20 percent, tomato growers in four Florida districts could see growth in their market share, while if the same measures were implemented in Mexico, the Sinaloa area would see between a 5 percent and 11 percent decrease in market share.
Citing data from the Perishables Group's FreshFacts, Ms. Winters told those assembled at the meeting Sept. 7 that movement percentages for hothouse beefsteak and on-the-vine had fallen 11.8 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively, while field-grown had risen 2.5 percent from the second quarter of 2005 to the second quarter of 2006 -- the time period when the committee's ads would have had the most effect.
In the Southern Atlantic region, which includes Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, Ms. Winters said that the results were even more dramatic. Movement of field tomatoes increased 23.2 percent, while hothouse beefsteak and on-the-vine fell 18 percent and 20 percent, respectively, from the second quarter of 2005 to the second quarter of 2006, pushing field tomatoes to the rank of No. 1 in category share, up from the No. 3 spot.
"We took our message to the consumer that Florida tomatoes are flavorful, healthy and available," Ms. Winters said. "The outcome of our national campaign was that people talked and created a lot of buzz, enthusiasm and excitement, including heavy hitters such as The Wall Street Journal. Things don't really get bigger than this."
Ms. Winters said that retailers reacted very well to the campaign, as evidenced in the 4,079 point-of-purchase kits that were sent out during 2006 -- almost 2,400 more than the year before.
"Retailers' displays encouraged cross-promotional displays that really helped drive the message home," she said.
To help build on the momentum of the 2006 campaign, the FTC will continue using the 15-second ad spots, which were designed by SenaReider, a Monterey, CA-based advertising agency, and which show a red ripe Florida tomato on a white screen with a female voice-over with four catchy sayings such as "what hamburgers dream of" and "bag some lycopene to go."
The committee voted to air this year's campaign during the first two weeks of January, March and May on cable television channels similar to those used last year, such as the Food Network, Discovery Health Network, HGTV and the DIY Network.
"We are leveraging our creative investment by running for six weeks instead of eight," she said. "By running three two-week flights, we are intensifying our commercial concentration."
Ms. Winters said that during 2006, the commission had also engaged in other public relations efforts to have a dialogue directly with the consumer.
A press kit highlighting the diversity and versatility of Florida tomatoes was sent to 1,000 food editors and writers in the United States and Canada, who in turn wrote 195 news stories reaching an estimated audience of 8 million readers.
The committee hosted a nutrition brunch in New York City for food and health editors complete with a top researcher who presented the latest findings on tomato research.
The committee also held its annual student chef competition, which drew competitors from over 20 top culinary programs.
Ms. Winters said that the committee's export programs to Canada and Japan are "extremely important" and did quite well during 2006.
"Canada is our largest export market and Japan is an emerging export market," she said. "Sixty-eight percent of Canadian consumers prefer field- grown tomatoes. In Japan, tomatoes are now being served in convenience stores, fast-food [restaurants] and coffee shops. We are looking to set a sales record with 1,086 metric tons exported to Japan in 2006."
In contrast, only 21 metric tons of Florida tomatoes were exported to Japan in 1996.
"Our programs are building on the momentum of last season," she said. "We are doing a lot of retail and consumer work on growing our retail market share and export markets."
In other committee matters, George Hochmuth of the University of Florida's Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences presented a research report, funded in part by the FTC, on such topics as food safety, tomato breeding, pest management and the impact of increased harvesting efficiency.
Mr. Hochmuth said that an IFAS study on Salmonella survival on tomatoes showed that the bacteria can survive for long periods of time on intact tomatoes and increases in tomatoes with wounds.
"This poses a significant danger and we are stressing the need for culling out wounded fruit."
A study on sanitation options for E. coli on tomatoes showed that even small amounts of chlorine dioxide helped reduce bacterial contamination significantly and was "very effective in ridding soft rot from fruits."
Mr. Hochmuth noted that several breeding tomatoes for Florida were nearly ready for release, including "Crown Jewel," a Fusarium crown rot-resistant variety that was highly tolerant to graywall and Florida 8153. Also known as "Flora-Lee," the "Crown Jewel" is a "special heat-tolerant variety that was poised at the doorstep" with such characteristics as high lycopene, deep red fruit color and superior flavor that make it a great candidate for the premium tomato market.
IFAS was also working on a continued evaluation of tomato lines that "carry a much-improved flavor, sweetness and quality," he said.
Mr. Hochmuth also mentioned a study by University of Florida researchers that concluded that by reducing their harvesting costs by 10-20 percent, tomato growers in four Florida districts could see growth in their market share, while if the same measures were implemented in Mexico, the Sinaloa area would see between a 5 percent and 11 percent decrease in market share.
