Berry promos shift with seasons

Summer may be winding down, but berry promotions are heating up, marketers say.

Branding and co-branding are central to Dole Berry Co.’s berry marketing efforts.

Dole Berry, a branch of Westlake Village, Calif.-based Dole Food Co., continues to partner with Disney to reach kids.

“Promotional packaging is a big focus of Dole’s multi-year collaboration with Disney, designed to help parents motivate their kids and families toward healthier eating and a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables,” Dole director of corporate communications Bil Goldfield said.

“Parents are looking for convenient, nutritious foods for their families, and one of their biggest challenges is kids’ resistance to eating more fruits and veggies.”

The strategy employs Disney-owned characters on Dole stickers, price cards, tags, logos and other materials.

Goldfield said “research shows that favorite characters have a tremendous influence on acceptance and behavior among children. In fact, when kids see favorite characters promoting fruit and vegetable consumption, they are more likely to choose fruits and vegetables themselves.”

In May, Dole introduced “Fuel Up with Dole,” a summer campaign linked to to Disney-Pixar’s Cars 3 film.

The Vancouver, British Columbia-based Oppenheimer Group will market late-season fresh berries under the Ocean Spray label for the first time, under a deal finalized in June, said Jason Fung, berry category development director.

There should be plenty to promote, Fung said.

He said there are ample “promotable opportunities” in the blackberry category, and a combination of domestic and imported volumes of blueberries should provide an important marketing complement.

Oppy’s strawberry program in Salinas, Calif., will wind down and give way to production in Lompoc, Calif., Fung said.

Different take

Late-season promotions require a switch in promotional gears, said Jim Grabowski, director of marketing with Watsonville, Calif.-based Well-Pict Inc., which has late-season strawberries and raspberries from Oxnard, Calif.

“Generally, it’s a little harder sell,” he said.

“A lot of the retailers follow a set program. Sometimes, you have to work with retailers to get them to break out of their mold and promote an item they might not think of promoting at that time of year.”

If they do promote berries, they find success, Grabowski said.

“If we can convince them it’s going to work, they’re pleasantly surprised at how well they still move,” he said.

Watsonville-based CBS Farms will promote strawberries well into the fall, said Charlie Staka, operations manager.

“The varieties we have do very well in the fall, and usually we have a production increase in the fall and we have real good quality, so we’re looking to promote all the way up until October,” he said.

Watsonville-based California Giant Berry Farms recently completed a campaign with several other produce industry partners called “Skinny Dips,” that ran during the Memorial Day-Fourth of July period, said Cindy Jewell, vice president of marketing.

Now, Cal Giant shifts to the fall season, with some new campaigns, she said.

The efforts include an e-book focusing on ways to incorporate berries into low-calorie meals and a back-to-school campaign, Jewell said.

“We are working with some partners in developing a fall campaign that helps consumers get back into the kitchen as the weather cools down and comfort food is on the mind of many,” she said.

Cal Giant also has an ongoing campaign that will continue through Labor Day that promotes its item-level traceback program, Jewell said.

“We converted it into a positive marketing campaign that directs shoppers to flip over the clamshell and enter the 16-digit code on our website to learn more about where their specific berries just purchased were grown.”

Shoppers entering their codes can win a monthly cash prize of $100, Jewell said.

The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council will conclude its summer-long Blueberry Life campaign Sept. 15. The promotion is a “clear call-to-action” for consumers to eat a carton of blueberries each week, said Mark Villata, the council’s executive director.

The council also has an updated website, blogs, recipes and other information to keep consumers informed, Villata said.