It’s time to go back to basics, y’all.
That’s the idea behind the consumer promotion for this spring and summer’s watermelon season.
The National Watermelon Promotion Board is using all digital platforms to encourage customers to “brush up on the basics of selecting, storing and using watermelon to its fullest,” said Stephanie Barlow, senior director of communications.
Expect to see basic tips, recipes, carvings, nutrition information and usage ideas on blogs, social media and watermelon.org.
Simple, practical how-to videos include:
- How to choose a watermelon,
- How to wash a watermelon,
- How to cut quick watermelon cubes,
- How to cut and use watermelon rind,
- How to use a melon baller,
- How to use watermelon in recipes, and
- How to carve a watermelon.
On YouTube, the board will continue its Watermelon Wellness series targeting fitness, foodies and family audiences by focusing on a “Enjoy the Calm” theme, with calming, refreshing watermelon limeade, green tea and kiwi smoothie recipes.
As in-person events return, the board will host tastings in the flesh and online to reach foodservice media and operators, said Megan McKenna, senior director of foodservice and marketing.
Events and partnerships include FoodOvation, StarChefs Virtual Education Workshop, the virtual Coffee with the CAFE (Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Educators), the virtual International Foodservice Editorial Council’s (IFEC) May Lunch & Learn, Produce Marketing Association’s Foodservice Conference and The Flavor Experience 2021 in San Diego.
The board will keep helping foodservice operators with food and drink menu ideas and marketing promotions.
As far as retail, that’s blown wide open.
“The ever-changing promotional opportunities at retail are now more robust and include in-store, digital and social media marketing components, providing customer reach for product and nutrition education beyond the brick-and-mortar element,” said Juliemar Rosado, director of retail and international marketing.
The board will continue helping retailers by contracting with national and Canadian retail merchandisers.
Those merchandising representatives can act as a direct line to retailers’ needs for marketing tools and materials throughout the year.
And then there’s the 13th retail display contest.
The 2020 iteration was reimagined to incorporate social media and marketing efforts as well as in-store displays. That contest started in July to honor National Watermelon Month and ran throughout August to encourage and identify retailers that featured watermelon’s benefits including health, value and versatility.
For its 13th year, the board plans to continue this in-store and social media hybrid format.
