NYAA helping retailers to promote better nutrition during holidays with apples
NYAA helping retailers to promote better nutrition during holidays with apples
New York Apple Association Marketing Director Molly Zingler and Retail Account Manager Susan McAleavey Sarlund continue to encourage retailers to promote New York state apples and cider during the holiday season via circular and online specials as well as in-store displays.
“We know that consumers want to serve and give their families only the best during the holidays, and to them that means serving and gifting local foods and beverages,” said Zingler. “For the same reason, we also encourage retailers to feature New York state apples in the holiday gift baskets they assemble for sale to customers.”
This holiday season the NYAA is executing two consumer-focused campaigns. One is Homemade Applesauce for Hanukah, and the other is Apples for Santa.
“Each year since it was created in 2013, we reprise a YouTube video in which Linda Quinn, our nutrition spokesperson, demonstrates how to make homemade applesauce to accompany traditional potato latkes,” explained McAleavey Sarlund. “She healthifies the recipe by not peeling the apples and by reducing added sugar.”
The Apples for Santa campaign encourages families to leave apples — or at least apple cookies — for Santa and his reindeer. This campaign includes consumer media outreach and Facebook posts.
“Linda Quinn is featured prominently in this campaign,” noted McAleavey Sarlund, “thus making the case for changing tradition to better fit today’s modern times. We have a lot of fun with this campaign. It’s about celebrating apple deliciousness, not finger wagging. The photography is absolutely iconic.”
This year the NYAA is also bringing back a campy video it produced last year at www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyPwDxsk3iY.
“The video turned out to be wildly popular with consumers,” said Zingler. “It offers easy ideas for assembling apple-centric gift baskets for holiday gifting. Instead of using a narrator or voiceover, rustic hand-written signs deliver instructions. When we posted the video to Facebook this time last year, the consumer reaction generated more likes and shares than any other post we’ve made to date.”
