Nature’s gift to health in Malaysia

In 2020, the Australian Government announced the Agribusiness Expansion Initiative (ABEI) as part of a long-term strategy to achieve sustainable growth and resilience in exports. Over $85 million will be invested through the initiative to help Australian agribusinesses expand and diversify their export markets. The ABEI is jointly delivered by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Austrade, in close collaboration with industry.

Through this initiative, Hort Innovation received funding to support Taste Australia activities for cherries, citrus, summerfruit, and table grapes. Each of the four sectors had $100,000 contributed to their marketing levy budget to support a program of activities in an additional or existing market, plus in-kind marketing support and advice.

Hort Innovation consulted with the cherry and summerfruit industry in partnership with Austrade, on the best approach. The decision was made to use the extra funding to run a campaign in an additional market, Malaysia.

The ‘Nature’s gift to health’ campaign positioned Australia as a premium supplier and highlighted the many health benefits of cherries and summerfruit. The campaign also focused on gifting to capture the giving culture of the festive period, which is prominent in Malaysia from Christmas to Chinese New Year.

Hort Innovation carried out the campaign with a three-pronged approach:

Media outreach

The campaign held an exclusive media session at the High Commissioner of Australia’s residence and a consumer-focused event featuring Dato’Fazley Yaakob, a Malaysian celebrity chef. Media events delivered a high media value of AUD 1.4 million with 91 pieces of coverage that generated a reach of over 43 million.

Influencer engagement

The campaign partnered with 13 highly influential lifestyle and food opinion leaders, including Malaysian celebrity chef, Chef Wan and Abang Brian, Malaysian actress and model Amber Chia, alongside other high-profile people such as Bella Kuan and Nana Bebu.

Influencers were given a beautifully decorated gift basket containing summerfruit, cherries and flowers to highlight the gifting message key to the campaign. These gifts were distributed to the influencers to create bespoke content showcasing the fresh produce and conveying its premium qualities to consumers.

Influencer engagement is imperative in reaching the target audience, especially as Malaysians are proficient social media users and use it to interact with the brands they love.

Retailer program

Retail programs further strengthened the presence of Australian summerfruit and cherries in stores with supermarkets such as AEON, Jaya Grocer, Village Grocer, Ben’s Independent Grocers, Cold Storage, Mercato, TF Value, Lotus and QRA providing prominent display space.

Retail promotions reached an audience of 134,890 (68 per cent above target) with an increase in sales by 60 per cent during the sampling period.

The Taste Australia promotion had a microsite with QR codes in all point-of- sale materials for the first time. The site provided consumers with comprehensive information on the campaign, recipes, products and promotions with point-of-sale materials placed at over 100 stores nationwide.

TESTIMONIALS

“We are really excited that our Malaysian friends can access, taste and enjoy our delicious premium cherries – a low-calorie, tasty snack that is high in antioxidants and vitamins. Here in the Yarra Valley, we can pick them, pack them, carefully select them and send them in one day. We love it even more that they can be available to the customer by day three while they are still as fresh as the day we picked them. Fresh is best!”

Robyn Hall, cherry grower from Yarra Valley Cherries

“The in-store activation helped us increase the sales volume as repeat ordering is better after customer sampling, and there was more buzz this year on social media. The taste of fruit is very important in driving repeat purchasing and we must strive to deliver this to consumers”

Tracy L, Purchaser at Khaishen Trading in Malaysia

“Australian peaches are one of my favourite fruits and each year. I always buy them for my clients as Chinese New Year gifts. Trying fruits at the supermarket helps me to decide if I’ll purchase or not. I also love the premium gift, it’s good quality.”

Triptpal K, Customer at Village Grocer Supermarket in Malaysia