With pandemic, marketers need more sensitivity now than ever
The effects of misinformation during a pandemic, especially via social media, highlight how important it is for produce companies to have a clear, correct, calm message.
“Your PR superpower is sensitivity — that is, being sensitive to the needs of those you’re serving,” said Nick Pasculli, founder and president of TMD Creative, Salinas, Calif., in a general session Nov. 11 at the virtual West Coast Produce Expo. “My hope is that we can emerge from this with a heightened sensitivity to the needs of each other and our community.”
Pasculli was one of four panelists in a discussion moderated by Brock Nemecek, marketing manager for Farm Journal’s produce division, at the expo’s Nov. 11 session, “Fresh Produce Marketing in the Time of COVID.”
Ocean Mist Farms, Castroville, Calif., was about to roll out a big promotion when the pandemic hit, said Diana McClean, senior marketing director.
The company had to quickly rethink its messaging. It already had channels already established to communicate directly to consumers, she said.
“We just needed to modify our message to be more relevant to the content they were looking for: immunity, how to prepare, cooking at home for a family,” McClean said. “We needed to be sensitive to the situation that was going on in the world that was certainly changing as we were making our minds up.”
Promotions for all the big dates in spring, summer and fall needed to be tweaked as typical rites of passage and traditions took new shape during COVID-19 pandemic safety measures.
The dialogue with consumers was amplified rather than silenced during the pandemic, said Dan’l Mackey Almy, president and CEO of DMA Solutions, Dallas.
“Meeting people where they are emotionally in terms of marketing, we definitely had to retool all the back-to-school and holiday content,” she said.
The federal government’s designation of the food industry as an essential business helped the public see how critical this work is, said Mary Coppola, vice president of marketing and communications at the United Fresh Produce Association.
“It helped us tell our story in a more effective, empathetic way. It allowed us to really amplify those stories,” she said.
The association decided to break down the barriers of its resources during the crisis and allow industry-wide access to association tools and benefits previously reserved for members.
United Fresh also found itself more often on a bigger stage representing the industry in consumer media, Coppola said.
The audience — the consumer — has needs, Pasculli said.
“How do we help them feel more secure and better about the situation? Our job is to create calm stability and hope. What are the questions people are asking?” he said. “That requires us to listen. As my mother said, God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason.”
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