Watermelon Board promotes use of the entire melon

This month, National Watermelon Promotion Board has launched “Use the Whole Watermelon,” its largest consumer-focused campaign of the year. The campaign is aimed at showing the taste, health, economic and sustainable benefits of the full watermelon, inside and out.

According to NWPB’s consumer research, only 18% of consumers use the whole watermelon, and less than 40% of respondents know the rind is edible. The Winter Springs, Fla.-based board wants consumers to know that watermelons are 100% edible, including flesh, juice and rind — even the green skin. 

To get the word out on watermelons as a healthy, sustainable and wallet-friendly choice (at only 16 cents per serving), the NWPB is launching multiple activations, including a new digital hub, social media promotions, how-to live/premiere videos, ad streaming, influencer partner shares and content syndication. 

“Strategically, we’re insisting that this summer, 'Using the Whole Watermelon' is the solution to some common consumer issues,” Stephanie Barlow, senior director of communications at NWPB, said in a release. “Need to eat healthy? Use the whole watermelon. Need a wallet-friendly produce option? Use the whole watermelon. Want to help to minimize food waste? Use the whole watermelon. It’s a win-win-win for watermelon.”

In addition, a suite of new creative assets will support the campaign, including recipe and selection photography and video. Retail components include a full-page advertorial and custom e-newsletter with a QR code.

All campaign elements will point to the newly imagined "Use the Whole Watermelon" landing page on Watermelon.org, accessible through UseTheWholeWatermelon.com. The interactive microsite, said NWPB, is a one-stop resource for everything about using the whole watermelon and includes:

• An interactive watermelon “butchery” tutorial, with videos such as “How to cut and use the rind,” “How to juice” and “How to use a melon baller;”
• Curated recipes that share refreshing and delicious inspiration for all parts of the watermelon;
• Tips and tricks for food prep;
• Gamification of food waste footprint tracker allowing users to calculate how much food waste they can save by using the entire watermelon; and
• A call for consumers to pledge to use the whole watermelon and enter the summer sweepstakes.

Throughout the campaign, NWPB will encourage watermelon fans to pledge to use the whole watermelon because it is a sustainable choice that reduces food waste, minimizing the negative impacts on our environment, the board said. 

Those who pledge and share why will have access to download branded digital “I Pledged” stickers and will be entered for a chance to win weekly watermelon prizes. Those consumer entries will be captured and designed into special social posts quoting the best pledges to be shared across social channels, amplifying and inspiring audiences to use the whole watermelon, NWPB said.

“Leveraging user-generated content and stories is just one way that NWPB can amplify our messaging, and also cultivate a community of consumers who love watermelon in all shapes and forms,” Barlow said. 

In addition to promoting the campaign on all owned social channels, NWPB is working with influencer partners, both new and longstanding, whose activations include TikToks, long-form blog posts, Facebook and Instagram posts, stories and reels, Pinterest posts, and media appearances. Each month this summer will focus on one part of the watermelon. In June the focus will be on flesh, July will feature juice and August will showcase the rind, with a special celebration on August 3 for National Watermelon Day. 

The "Use the Whole Watermelon" campaign runs through Sept. 2.