Marketing update
Apple and Pear marketing spotlight 2021/22
Publication date: November 4, 2022
Marketing update
Apple and Pear marketing spotlight 2021/22
Publication date: November 4, 2022
Hort Innovation is responsible for investing the apple and pear marketing levy into a range of activities to drive awareness and consideration. Here’s a quick look at some of the activities and achievements in 2021/22.
In 2021/22, Australian Apples launched the ‘Hit Refresh’ campaign to reconnect Australians with apples. The campaign focused on clear and distinct messaging that apples are a healthy snack that makes you feel refreshed and revitalised. A post-campaign brand health study found that it prompted a 69 per cent recall for those that have seen the ad, who described apples as “refreshing and revitalising”, and 60 per cent found it “enjoyable.”
In 2021/22, the campaign targeted ‘light’ and ‘lapsed’ consumers through content that highlights the sensory experience of eating apples and reminds consumers why they love apples, evoking an association of enjoyment with the fruit.
The ‘hit refresh on your senses’ campaign creatively dramatised the refreshing experience of eating an apple. It achieved this by drawing on the insight that when you eat an apple, it’s a sensory overload – the taste, sound, and feeling awaken all the senses.
Out-of-home advertising and social media launched the campaign in June 2022 across the entire path to purchase. A new radio advertisement was created to represent the enjoyment of apples with sound, featuring high-definition sounds stimulating the listeners’ taste buds and creating a desire to consume apples.
Highlights of the campaign include:
In 2021/22 the Hort Innovation Marketing function underwent a significant shift in their approach to investing marketing levies. You can read more about this in the 2021/22 Hort Innovation Company Annual Report at www.horticulture.com.au/annual-report-portal.
In 2021/22, the marketing activities for Australian Pears aimed to increase consumer demand for the fruit by changing consumer attitudes to have them viewed as a staple snack item.
The campaign positioned pears as a healthy, tasty snack that’s surprisingly good for you. It was supported across digital channels, social media, outdoor advertising, online video, public relations, and retail media across June and July 2022.
Brand tracking results in October 2021 showed that the existing ‘good things come in pears’ campaign increased consumers’ perception that pears are healthy (from 72 per cent to 80 per cent.) After seeing the campaign, one in two consumers were more likely to purchase pears In the 2022 season, Australian Pears continued to use this marketing campaign due to its initial success. It ran across:
In 2021, the ‘pick a pear’ Metcash display incentive had driven an increase in conversion rates and an uplift in wholesale volume (an increase of 3.6 per cent compared to the previous year). However, due to market challenges such as COVID-19 impacts, there was minimal uplift in retail sales. In 2022, the shopper campaign was optimised to entice and motivate light buyers to purchase pears.
A consumer cash promotion encouraged shoppers to purchase pears for their chance to win. The shopper promotion ‘good things come in pears at IGA’ ran with Metcash exclusively from the end of August to September 2022. In IGA stores, an in-store display incentive encourages staff to use provided point-of-sale campaign kits (posters, shelf strips, recipe tear pads and ‘ripening’ paper bags) to build disruptive displays.
In 2021/22, the Taste Australian marketing campaign promoted apples and pears in key export markets: Indonesia and Thailand.
The primary goal throughout the campaign was to build consumers’ product knowledge and clearly differentiate Australian apples and pears.
The campaign consisted of three tactical pillars: retailer engagement, influencer engagement and social media management. The integrated approach included working with retailers on e-commerce, in-store displays and ‘gift-with-purchase’ promotions. During the season, supply-chain disruptions and COVID-19 restrictions impacted campaign delivery, which caused a reduction in activities.
Thailand
The campaign in Thailand was the most expansive of the two markets and was the least impacted by the rapidly changing landscape associated with the pandemic. The campaign commenced later than planned due to a rise in COVID-19 cases that affected in-store purchases. As a result, activities were pivoted to focus more on online channels, directing customers to engage and purchase online while products were in-market.
Indonesia
Indonesia is Asia’s largest pear import market, with over 216,000 tonnes imported in 2020, a 29 per cent growth from 2019. Subsequently, it is an important market for Taste Australia to increase its presence. The pears campaign in Indonesia was an integrated campaign including both online and offline activities. Unfortunately, the market was heavily impacted by supply chain issues, resulting in only two containers of produce being delivered compared to 15 in Thailand. As a result, the campaign scope was changed, focusing on retail promotions to support produce in-store and social media.
In addition to the Taste Australia Apples and Pears campaign, three co-promotion campaigns were delivered by industry partners to support the UK and Thailand markets for apples, as well as the New Zealand, Singapore, and Indonesian markets for pears.