Whether it’s watermelon rind pickling tips or playful memes celebrating the iconic red melon, consumers scrolling social media don’t need to look far for fresh fruit inspiration this summer.
Embracing interactive digital platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest, the National Watermelon Promotion Board launched its “Use the Whole Watermelon” campaign, experimenting with a wide range of digital formats — from video and text to gifs and virtual events — to engage consumers, celebrate the summer fruit and demystify unusual watermelon preparations, according to a news release.
“The Watermelon Board has been able to be incredibly dynamic and responsive when it comes to navigating trends, capitalizing on our fun fruit personality that is flexible to react in many spaces,” Stephanie Barlow, senior director of communications at NWPB, said in the release. “We prioritize a playful image that keeps our pages vital and vibrant while growing in engagements year over year.”
On Aug. 3, National Watermelon Day, NWPB launched its first-ever online scavenger hunt on Instagram. The 24-hour campaign asked watermelon trivia questions via Instagram stories and encouraged followers to visit Watermelon.org to find answers. The incentivized campaign, though short, gave a snapshot of NWPB community engagement, and helped to establish the likelihood for similar campaigns in future, the release said.
“It is imperative that we continue to not only recognize and monitor new and upcoming digital trends, but are also nimble enough to reassess our initial plan and act,” said Barlow in the release. “In some cases, that means acting fast … we will try a new digital tactic for a short period of time in order to test the audience’s reaction for a larger potential activation in the future. For NWPB, the tactic’s success is largely determined by audience engagement.”
Watermelon consumption per capita in the U.S. was nearly 16 pounds in 2021. Watermelon consumption in the U.S. was nearly 5.6 billion pounds in 2021. The U.S. exported an additional 375 million pounds of watermelon, according to the release.
