Produce industry reaches young families online

In the hands-on world of fresh produce, the importance of digital marketing is arguably gaining the upper hand — especially with younger consumers, such as parents and their school-aged children.

An omnichannel strategy emphasizing the various digital platforms is key with the rise of online shopping and delivery, more contactless in-store options and digital-first millennials and Gen Zers.

“No longer being in store for product demos or handing out free samples at community events, the digital landscape is our conduit to consumers,” said Chris Veillon, chief marketing officer of Pure Hothouse Foods Inc. and the Pure Flavor brand, based in Leamington, Ontario.

Pure Flavor creates digital paid media and digital organic media.

Paid and organic

For the first category, the Pure Flavor brand supports retailers with geotargeted content in areas with high sales concentrations. The company distributes lifestyle, recipe and fact-based product content to specific demographics based on their interests.

For instance, snacking-specific content focused on millennial moms can garner a lot of traction, leading the audience to strategically designed content-landing pages that focus on healthy snacking.

It's all about social content posts for digital organic media.

“By using kids of all ages in our social posts, we are attempting to create an emotional connection with digital viewers to show how greenhouse-grown vegetables play an important part in their lifestyles,” Veillon said. “Let's be honest, the real decision-makers when it comes to food in the house are your kids.”

Even with social distancing measures in place, parents are still taking their kids, sometimes with masks on, to their local grocery stores. “Walking through the produce aisle can be an incredibly stimulating experience for kids due to all the colors, shapes and sizes of fresh fruits and vegetables,” he said.

Influencers

Partnering with social media influencers is becoming a standard marketing strategy, especially when targeting the youngest generations, including young parents.

An influencer already has a large following on TikTok or Instagram — drawing thousands, or even more than a million, eyeballs on their content. A successful influencer partnership involves one in which the influencer's personal brand aligns with your store or supplier's brand. Think: Influencers who are passionate about cooking, living healthy or family-oriented. Others who don't fall in any of these categories could also draw new fans of your store and brands.

There are so many videos, recipes and new ideas that can be found on social platforms when it comes to children snacking, said Brianna Shales, marketing director of Stemilt Growers, Wenatchee, Wash.

“Lil Snappers [apples] fit right into those creative snacks, so we often work with influencers to help craft new ways for kids to enjoy our fresh apples and pears,” Shales said. “It's a great way to ensure apples or pears make it onto the kid's snack plate. This is very important, as apples are eaten as a snack three out of four times they're eaten.”

Related: What children (and parents) need for fall

While Pure Flavor brand is sharing content throughout its channels, the company's network of influencers nationwide is sharing their own content, tagging Pure Flavor and using the products. The goal is to show how versatile the products can be with a variety of recipes.

“We are definitely growing healthy partnerships,” Veillon said.

Sunkist Growers in Valencia, Calif., continues to watch how Gen Z shoppers impact buying behaviors, particularly the tools and platforms they prioritize to make real-time shopping decisions, said Christina Ward, senior director of global marketing.

That's where Sunkist's omnichannel marketing strategy comes into play. Ward looks to the data to identify the channels that resonate most with existing, new and lapsed shoppers. 

“For example, we have increased our presence with TikTok influencers, promoting grapefruit and lemon recipes and providing real-time recipe inspiration and utilization tips to drive demand at retail,” Ward said.

Advertising

The shift in advertising to online platforms has been huge, said Jane Rhyno, vice president of marketing and category development at Nature Fresh Farms, Leamington, Ontario.

“With most people connected to some form of device — like a phone, tablet or computer —throughout most of their day, advertising channels including social media platforms and e-commerce sites, paired with SEO strategies are top of mind and play a large part in our advertising strategies,” Rhyno said.
Nature Fresh Farms has also seen a resurgence of the QR code, which is a great vehicle to provide more information to consumers at point-of-purchase.

Multi-generational

Sunkist Growers creates trending recipe content that's also practical and relatable to the millennial and Gen Z consumer audience.

The Sunkist brand its website into an interactive cookbook with step-by-step photos and video guides on in-season lemon recipes, accessible through through a “Family Segments: Bite-Sized” campaign on Instagram reels and IGTV. The at-home recipe tutorials are hosted by three generations of family-member influencers – grandparent, parent and grandchild.

“Through new video content, point-of-sale materials and digital storytelling, we are excited to share our multi-generational growers' stories highlighting Sunkist's in-season varieties, growing regions, sustainability and organic farming practices, and the almost 130-year legacy of Sunkist Growers,” Ward said.

While digital is king, connecting the digital with in-store is important too, said Amanda Keefer, managing director Healthy Family Project and its Produce for Kids program, the cause-marketing creation of Shuman Farms, Reidsville, Ga.

The organization uses a 360-degree approach for its Produce for Kids retail campaigns so that the signage has QR codes leading back to a specific page on our website, where shoppers can access the campaign's free e-cookbook and other resources around the specific campaign. 

“We strive to meet the younger generation where they're at,” Keefer said. “This tech-savvy generation might not stumble upon us because of our website, but we're sharing our content in the online spaces they reside in, like TikTok, reels and through our podcast. By working in those spaces, we can present our content in a way that's appealing to them.”

By keeping up with trends and updates on these platforms, we can target this audience and ensure our content finds them, instead of relying on them to find us.”