Participation in Potato Lovers Month display contest doubles previous record
Participation in Potato Lovers Month display contest doubles previous record
With a March 31 deadline, entries were still coming in for the Idaho Potato Commission?s Potato Lovers Month display contest when The Produce News spoke with Seth Pemsler, the commission?s vice president of retail merchandising, on March 30.
But with two days remaining, "right now we are sitting at 1,573 [entries], so we have basically doubled the best year we have ever had," Mr. Pemsler said.
Previously, "the most entries we have ever had was 800," he said. Last year?s contest brought in 635 entries, while the previous year had just 250 entries. This is the 14th year for the commission?s Potato Lovers Month display contest, held during February. Judging of this year?s entries is scheduled for the week of April 11, with the winners to be announced soon after.
There are several reasons that this year?s contest was more successful than previous contests, Mr. Pemsler explained. "We did a number of things differently. First, we defined a premium that worked exceptionally well? not just for the individual in the store who built the display and entered the contest but for the store?s entire produce group.
?Instead of one person taking home a flashlight," for example, as in past contests, this year?s prize was a television "that can go in the break room? so everyone in the department can enjoy it, he said.
In addition, the contest was structured this year in such a way as to give category managers and ad managers, as well as store-level personnel, a vested interest in the contest.
The Potato Lovers Month contest is "typically a store-level display contest," but this year, "we provided incentive to the category manager," Mr. Pemsler said. "What we said is, "If your store enters, Mr. Category Manager, and they win a prize, you win a prize." "
In addition, "we created an overlay ad contest? to involve ad managers to help assure that if a big Idaho potato display was built in the store, there would be some advertising and promotion to support the display, he said.
Finally, an important factor in the historic success of this year?s Potato Lovers Month contest was the choice of tie-in partners and the fact that the tie-in was a true partnership.
?We partnered with Kraft, and we jointly sold the promotion," Mr. Pemsler said. In past contests, although tie-in partners certainly made a contribution to the promotion, to some degree they "pretty much rode the coattails? of the commission. "This time, it was truly a partnered promotion, where they went out and sold and we went out and sold."
Frank Muir, the commission?s president, concurred. "We consider it a great partnership," he said, and Kraft Foods has been "very happy? with the results of this year?s promotion, "so they want to continue to work with us next year. Kraft is the largest food manufacturer in the country, so by combining our efforts with their national sales force, it makes the Potato Lovers Month display contest an even stronger program."
Due in part to the success of the promotion and in part to the success of the commission?s nutrition campaign, "I think we are turning some important corners," Mr. Muir said.
Potato sales have suffered the last couple of years due to various factors, among them the low-carb diet craze which has now begun to subside. This season, "year-to-date, our fresh shipments are now above a year ago, so we are beginning to see upward trends in terms of movement."
Another "important milestone? was highlighted by a recent study by the U.S. Potato Board, which "indicated that consumers? perceptions toward potatoes are improving," Mr. Muir said. "We think a significant part of that is the large TV campaign that we launched beginning two years ago? focusing on potato nutrition, reinforced by public-relations efforts and nationwide interviews featuring fitness guru Denise Austin. We think Idaho has been very instrumental in helping make this shift? in consumers? nutritional perception of potatoes.
The Idaho Potato Commission "is going to continue to hammer home the nutrition message," he said. There may be a shift from a direct counter-attack on the flaws of the low-carb concept "to more of a pro-potato nutrition message, because as the anti-carb diets begin to wane, we think it doesn?t make sense to keep pounding on them." Rather, the focus will be on reinforcing "why consumers should be eating potatoes in the first place."
Potato producers throughout the country are benefiting from what the Idaho industry is doing, Mr. Muir said. But "that is part of the responsibility of being the leader." Still, he hopes that other potato-producing states will follow suit in their programs.
But with two days remaining, "right now we are sitting at 1,573 [entries], so we have basically doubled the best year we have ever had," Mr. Pemsler said.
Previously, "the most entries we have ever had was 800," he said. Last year?s contest brought in 635 entries, while the previous year had just 250 entries. This is the 14th year for the commission?s Potato Lovers Month display contest, held during February. Judging of this year?s entries is scheduled for the week of April 11, with the winners to be announced soon after.
There are several reasons that this year?s contest was more successful than previous contests, Mr. Pemsler explained. "We did a number of things differently. First, we defined a premium that worked exceptionally well? not just for the individual in the store who built the display and entered the contest but for the store?s entire produce group.
?Instead of one person taking home a flashlight," for example, as in past contests, this year?s prize was a television "that can go in the break room? so everyone in the department can enjoy it, he said.
In addition, the contest was structured this year in such a way as to give category managers and ad managers, as well as store-level personnel, a vested interest in the contest.
The Potato Lovers Month contest is "typically a store-level display contest," but this year, "we provided incentive to the category manager," Mr. Pemsler said. "What we said is, "If your store enters, Mr. Category Manager, and they win a prize, you win a prize." "
In addition, "we created an overlay ad contest? to involve ad managers to help assure that if a big Idaho potato display was built in the store, there would be some advertising and promotion to support the display, he said.
Finally, an important factor in the historic success of this year?s Potato Lovers Month contest was the choice of tie-in partners and the fact that the tie-in was a true partnership.
?We partnered with Kraft, and we jointly sold the promotion," Mr. Pemsler said. In past contests, although tie-in partners certainly made a contribution to the promotion, to some degree they "pretty much rode the coattails? of the commission. "This time, it was truly a partnered promotion, where they went out and sold and we went out and sold."
Frank Muir, the commission?s president, concurred. "We consider it a great partnership," he said, and Kraft Foods has been "very happy? with the results of this year?s promotion, "so they want to continue to work with us next year. Kraft is the largest food manufacturer in the country, so by combining our efforts with their national sales force, it makes the Potato Lovers Month display contest an even stronger program."
Due in part to the success of the promotion and in part to the success of the commission?s nutrition campaign, "I think we are turning some important corners," Mr. Muir said.
Potato sales have suffered the last couple of years due to various factors, among them the low-carb diet craze which has now begun to subside. This season, "year-to-date, our fresh shipments are now above a year ago, so we are beginning to see upward trends in terms of movement."
Another "important milestone? was highlighted by a recent study by the U.S. Potato Board, which "indicated that consumers? perceptions toward potatoes are improving," Mr. Muir said. "We think a significant part of that is the large TV campaign that we launched beginning two years ago? focusing on potato nutrition, reinforced by public-relations efforts and nationwide interviews featuring fitness guru Denise Austin. We think Idaho has been very instrumental in helping make this shift? in consumers? nutritional perception of potatoes.
The Idaho Potato Commission "is going to continue to hammer home the nutrition message," he said. There may be a shift from a direct counter-attack on the flaws of the low-carb concept "to more of a pro-potato nutrition message, because as the anti-carb diets begin to wane, we think it doesn?t make sense to keep pounding on them." Rather, the focus will be on reinforcing "why consumers should be eating potatoes in the first place."
Potato producers throughout the country are benefiting from what the Idaho industry is doing, Mr. Muir said. But "that is part of the responsibility of being the leader." Still, he hopes that other potato-producing states will follow suit in their programs.
