The Fresno-based California Table Grape Commission has several new initiatives, said Jeff Cardinale, vice president of communications.
Among them is a new social media campaign for the fall, he said.
“A series of advertisements promoting the health benefits of grapes will roll out this fall in Food Network Magazine and on the California Table Grape Commission social media channels,” Cardinale said.
The campaign is designed to build awareness of the health benefits of grapes, he said.
The commission is running a full-page ad about the cardio benefits of eating grapes in the September issue of Food Network. A similar ad promoting brain health and grapes will run in October and colon health and grapes will run in the November issue of the publication, Cardinale said.
During the fall, social media posts on the commission Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages will promote the health benefits of grapes tied to the ads in the magazine, with prompts to the commission’s website.
On the foodservice side, California grapes will be featured in the fall on the menus of Restaurant Associates, a hospitality company that services corporate dining and education facilities, as well as museums, in the Northeast, Cardinale said.
“California grapes will be incorporated into daily menus in applications such as snack boxes, grab-and-go options, and smoothies,” he said.
New recipes will be developed and basic grape applications including grape-only snack cups, and grapes featured with cheese and charcuterie will be featured, Cardinale said.
The commission reports that 10-second promotional messages on “traffic radio” outlets, which it is running through January, is resonating with retailers. The messages include mention of California grapes and a retail chain.
“There are many powerful tools for retailers use to reach out to consumers with purchase prompting messages, including during drive to the grocery store,” Cardinale said. “An old-school, but very popular, way for retailers to connect with consumers this season is with traffic radio spots for California grapes.”
Traffic radio spots are available to retailers for front page or multiple California grape variety ads. These 10- to 15-second announcer-read spots each mention Grapes from California and the retailer name, Cardinale said, noting that traffic radio ads are available for retailers across the U.S. and Canada.
“These spots will surround reports in traffic, news and weather during AM/PM weekday drive times on a variety of radio formats from contemporary hit stations, oldies, talk, and commentary and sports stations on both AM and FM frequencies,” he said.
The commission also said that, during the fall, California grapes will be featured at WOW Café, a fast-casual restaurant chain that is found on university campuses, in hospitals, hotels and airports.
“California grapes will be the signature ingredient in an entrée salad that will be featured as a limited time offer that will run Oct. 1 to mid-November,” Cardinale said.
According to its website, Wow Café is found in 25 states and Washington, D.C.