Chile kicks off 2008-09 promotion season
Chile kicks off 2008-09 promotion season
ORLANDO, FL -- The 2008 Chilean Fresh Fruit Association North American importers meeting was held here Oct. 24. The meeting, held in conjunction with the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit, included a look at the recent and coming Chilean fruit export season as well as the Chilean association's promotional plans for the 2008-09 marketing season.
Tom Tjerandsen, managing director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association USA in Sonoma, CA, described his group's 2009 North American marketing plans as having the four following objectives:
* Increase awareness.
* Encourage trial.
* Increase usage.
* Raise low index/usage markets.
The positioning of the promotion is: "To fresh fruit consumers in the North American winter months, Chile is the supplier of a wide range of high-quality fresh fruits that you can serve, feeling confident that are tasty and safe." To carry its message to consumers, the association will use spot television, will target for the first time Hispanic television stations, and will use in-store radio and consumer public relations. Trade publicity will work with retail and foodservice publications.
Mr. Tjerandsen said that the retail effort will involve trade advertising, point- of-purchase materials, appearances at regional and industry food trade shows, retailer visits to Chile, and club store initiatives. These p-o-p materials will be printed not only in English but also in French-Canadian and Spanish. The CFFA effort in North America will also gather sales data for some segments, will be supported by retail trade public relations and will have merchandiser coordination and support.
The association's foodservice promotions will resemble the retail promotions and will include increasing Chilean fresh fruit consumption in schools.
Rodrigo Echeverr?a, president of the Fruit Growers Federation of Chile, noted that export volumes to the United States last season were down because of the declining value of the U.S. dollar and weather issues that lowered Chilean production. Thus Chile's exports to the United States dropped 13.6 percent from 2006-07 to 2007-08. In terms of tons, those numbers dropped to 809,000 from 937,000. It is noteworthy that 2007-08 tonnage was still the third-largest volume in Chile's fruit export history.
Chilean grape volume fell 10 percent last season, to 417,000 tons.
Chilean blueberries and cherries -- which have new, maturing plantings -- were the only Chilean fruits to have increased volumes in the most recent season. Blueberry tonnage was up roughly a quarter, to 23,600 tons, and cherry tonnage almost doubled, to 20,100 tons.
Tom Tjerandsen, managing director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association USA in Sonoma, CA, described his group's 2009 North American marketing plans as having the four following objectives:
* Increase awareness.
* Encourage trial.
* Increase usage.
* Raise low index/usage markets.
The positioning of the promotion is: "To fresh fruit consumers in the North American winter months, Chile is the supplier of a wide range of high-quality fresh fruits that you can serve, feeling confident that are tasty and safe." To carry its message to consumers, the association will use spot television, will target for the first time Hispanic television stations, and will use in-store radio and consumer public relations. Trade publicity will work with retail and foodservice publications.
Mr. Tjerandsen said that the retail effort will involve trade advertising, point- of-purchase materials, appearances at regional and industry food trade shows, retailer visits to Chile, and club store initiatives. These p-o-p materials will be printed not only in English but also in French-Canadian and Spanish. The CFFA effort in North America will also gather sales data for some segments, will be supported by retail trade public relations and will have merchandiser coordination and support.
The association's foodservice promotions will resemble the retail promotions and will include increasing Chilean fresh fruit consumption in schools.
Rodrigo Echeverr?a, president of the Fruit Growers Federation of Chile, noted that export volumes to the United States last season were down because of the declining value of the U.S. dollar and weather issues that lowered Chilean production. Thus Chile's exports to the United States dropped 13.6 percent from 2006-07 to 2007-08. In terms of tons, those numbers dropped to 809,000 from 937,000. It is noteworthy that 2007-08 tonnage was still the third-largest volume in Chile's fruit export history.
Chilean grape volume fell 10 percent last season, to 417,000 tons.
Chilean blueberries and cherries -- which have new, maturing plantings -- were the only Chilean fruits to have increased volumes in the most recent season. Blueberry tonnage was up roughly a quarter, to 23,600 tons, and cherry tonnage almost doubled, to 20,100 tons.
