This year the National Watermelon Promotion Board plans to build upon its program of successful promotional activities. "In 2016, we are focusing on educating our traditional target, busy moms as well as the fitness-focused about the nutritional benefits of watermelon -- whether as a recovery option after an intense workout or as a healthy, delicious way to fuel the family," said Stephanie Barlow, senior director of communications. "We are driving watermelon's health halo as a main motivator to purchase and targeting the fitness/health/nutrition crowd heavily."

The National Watermelon Promotion Board will continue its partnership with the Jump With Jill in-school rock n' roll school nutrition program in 2016. Last year, the show reached over 140,000 children in live audiences across 440 shows nationwide. Photo courtesy of the NWPB.

The board plans to launch the Healthy Lifestyle Guide on www.watermelon.org, a new landing page that will allow fans to identify with watermelon recipes, workouts and health messages. "Consumers will choose the lifestyle they most identify with and then receive curated watermelon content packaged into nutrition facts and tips as they relate to that lifestyle; recipes and/or meal plans based on nutritional needs of that lifestyle; and workout tips," Barlow said.

The organization will also be sponsoring a dietitian event in May reaching 600 registered dietitians and influencers at the Today's Dietitian Spring Symposium. "We will be sampling watermelon food and drink recipes as well as educating about the health benefits that these influencers should be sharing with their patients," Barlow commented.

"Our summertime campaign is going to be called #100DaysofWatermelon," Barlow continued. "Leveraging consumers' heightened interest in watermelon in summer, we will start a movement to inspire elevated experimentation, exploration and use of watermelon. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, we'll challenge fans to log a watermelon snack each week of summer through Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with #100DaysofWatermelon and will incentivize with monthly prizes."

In July, the National Watermelon Promotion Board will exhibit at the IDEA World Fitness Expo in Los Angeles, reaching 14,000 fitness professionals such as personal trainers, group fitness instructors, gym owners and more. "Fitness professionals reach and influence an average of 70 direct consumers each week, and 83 percent of them recommend healthy products during the course of a normal work week. We will also be engaging with 150 fitness and wellness bloggers during the event, and we will be helped in the booth by The Fit Fork, Jennifer Fisher, who came up with our Watermelon Workouts (exercises using watermelon as a kettlebell) and is featured on our website," Barlow said.

During the late summer and fall, the board will launch its Workout with Watermelon + Watermelon 'Grams campaign targeting fitness enthusiasts and showcasing watermelon as a functional ingredient that offers hydration and replenishing nutrients.

Annual promotional programs which have proven to be highly successful include participation at Walt Disney World's Flower & Garden Festival from March to May, which reaches 2.5 million impressions from festival guests; and October's Marine Corps Marathon where over 40,000 samples are provided to runners and their supporters.

"We are also continuing our partnership with the Jump with Jill in-school rock n' roll nutrition show, where a main cast member is DJ Homeslice, a watermelon wearing headphones. Last year the show reached over 140,000 kids in live audiences across 440 shows nationwide," Barlow noted.

And race car legend Ross Chastain has been back in the driver's seat of the #4 Chevrolet on the NASCAR XFINITY series race circuit since Daytona in February. His first 'watermelon car' race will be in Dover, DE, on May 14. "The #4 watermelon car will be featuring a 'Protect Your Melon' campaign in conjunction with the Delaware Department of Transportation," Barlow said. "Watermelons in the area will be specially stickered with an image of a crash test dummy with a watermelon head wearing his seatbelt to help enforce their Buckle Up campaign."

In conjunction with the National Watermelon Association, Juliemar Rosado, NWPB director of retail operations, said it will once sponsor a national retail display contest in July, National Watermelon Month. "New this year with this contest is that we've extended the time frame through to August to give more retailers an opportunity to enter," Rosado said.

A recently published retail kit is available to retailers upon request. "The kit provides them with watermelon information, including the latest consumer research, resources, health and nutrition," Rosado commented. "We also have a variety of POS materials available to retailers such as posters, stickers and recipe cards as well as retailer education videos and literature."