Thanks to an assessment increase, the National Mango Board is set to expand its promotional campaigns and research programs in the fourth quarter.
The assessment increase, from .5 cents to .75 cents per pound of whole fresh mangoes sold in the U.S., went into effect Sept. 1. At its board meeting Sept. 11-13 in Washington, D.C., members agreed to increase funding for consumer, retail and foodservice promotions and nutrition, health and food safety research, according to a news release from the Orlando, Fla.-based board.
One promotion will focus on holiday entertaining. Media contacts will receive a kit with fresh mangoes and new flavor pairings featuring holiday spices from around the world. The spice pairings are meant to inspire new recipe ideas for holiday entertaining.
The holiday theme also will be incorporated into an expanded Facebook initiative, which will include advertising, giveaways, mango trivia questions, online photo scavenger hunts, recipes or pairing ideas.
The board also will create a new video tutorial illustrating how to cut a mango. The video will feature the board’s director of marketing, Megan McKenna.
Also thanks to the higher assessment, the board will increase the number of its sales contests, demo events and other promotional efforts. The board also will produce new point-of-sale materials and invest in expanded category development research.
The board also is planning to sponsor more events, including an editor dinner featuring fresh mangoes at an International Foodservice Editorial Council event. The board also will sponsor a break during the National Restaurant Association’s Fall Marketing Executive Group conference.
In addition, the board will increase funding for its efforts to place stories in industry trade magazines and newspapers.
On the research side, the board will conduct new studies to learn more about the health benefits of fresh mangoes. Studies include:
• Colon and Breast Cell Culture Project
• Human Absorption Trial
• Breast Cancer Preliminary Human Study
• Mango Food Safety Program
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