A snapshot of the 2023/24 chestnut marketing campaign

Hort Innovation is responsible for investing the chestnut marketing levy into a range of activities to drive awareness and consideration. Here is a quick look at what happened during 2023/24... 

The 2023/24 chestnut marketing campaign focused on increasing consumer awareness, consideration, education, and inspiration around chestnuts. Despite a challenging season due to unprecedented difficulties with chestnut rot, the campaign effectively engaged consumers through a variety of channels, including media coverage, recipe development and participation in key events. 

Insights that drove our thinking 

• Consumer engagement. Chestnut marketing continues to resonate with the community, evidenced by strong newsletter subscriptions and social media engagement. There is an opportunity to build on this success by capitalising on video content, such as Instagram reels, and continuing to allocate budget for boosting posts.
  
• Empowered consumers. A five-point key messaging strategy was rolled out as the centrepiece of all marketing activities and was particularly emphasised through social media posting. It focused on selecting, storing, preparing, peeling, and freezing chestnuts, to empower consumers with knowledge to have an excellent chestnut experience, which should result in more repeat customers.
  
  
• Addressing quality challenges. Due to chestnut rot impacting the quality of the harvest, a portion of planned marketing activities was suspended. The marketing efforts that continued focused on re-engaging consumers with an emphasis on quality, preparing the ground for a stronger 2025 season. 

What the campaign looked like in market and what did we achieve  

Media coverage

The campaign achieved a substantial media presence, with almost four million opportunities to see the campaign. Coverage was across major media outlets; highlights included features in Woman’s Day, Canberra Weekly, Kidspot Kitchen, and Women’s Weekly. 

Social media

Chestnuts Australia’s social media presence grew, with Instagram followers reaching 3,012 and Facebook followers at 569. Engaging content, including recipe posts and tips, contributed to this growth. 

Top Instagram posts included:  

• Chestnuts roasted in an air fryer.
• Five tips for perfect chestnuts.
• Recipes for chestnut toffee ice cream, followed by chestnut arancini balls and chestnut bolognese. 

Top Facebook posts included: 

• Recipe for chestnut pastry swirls, chestnut carbonara, hearty chicken with chestnuts and mushrooms.
• Information tiles on health benefits and storing chestnuts in the fridge. 

Newsletter 

The newsletter, published four times per season, reached 797 subscribers, catering to customers, retailers, growers, and providores. 

Events

The campaign included attendance at the La Fiera Italian Festival in Myrtleford in May 2024. At the festival Chestnuts Australia connected with over 3,500 participants, with 43 per cent being first timers to the event. Over 370kg of chestnuts were sold during the event, providing a perfect opportunity to educate a new audience on the selection, cooking, and storage of chestnuts.