Marketing snapshot - Hortlink 2018, edition 2

This Hort Innovation Papaya Fund marketing snapshot has been taken from Hort Innovation’s Hortlink 2018, edition 2.

Hort Innovation is responsible for investing the papaya marketing levy into a range of activities to grow awareness and consumption, under the Hort Innovation Papaya Fund.

The marketing program’s main focus is on public relations (PR) and social media to increase awareness of delicious Australian papaya, along with consumer sampling to encourage consumers to try and buy the fruit.

• PR activity. During 2018, more than 10 million consumers have been reached with PR coverage to date, including recent papaya content in New Idea and Women’s Fitness magazines.

• Social media. The ‘always on’ social media approach ensures that inspiring, relevant content is shared continuously on the Australian Papaya Facebook page. Here, recipes, educational tips and other papaya info is delivered to more than 25,000 Facebook followers. The page has an engagement rate that’s more than three times the industry average, indicating consumers are interested in Australian papaya.

• Parenting expos. During April and May, papaya sampling took place at the Melbourne Baby and Toddler Show and the Sydney Pregnancy and Baby Show. Almost 9000 samples were distributed and the feedback was fantastic, with many parents sharing that they and their babies love the taste of papaya. These expos were also a great opportunity to provide education around the benefits of papaya and how it can be used in the whole family’s diet.

• Supermarket sampling. During May there was also in-store sampling in 60 Coles, Woolworths and independent supermarkets across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Sampling was scheduled during peak shopping days and times to reach a maximum number of shoppers.

Moving into June, at the time of writing papaya marketing activity was continuing with consumer sampling at the Brisbane Pregnancy & Baby Show, as well as a media trip to Far North Queensland to capture content for ongoing media coverage.

Through the R&D-levy-funded project Papaya consumer research (PP17001) the latest consumer insights have been delivered. The research supports the current marketing program’s approach, which will continue to evolve into the future.