Florida agriculture officials are working with retailers to showcase locally grown products in store displays.
Fresh From Florida is the marketing vehicle that gets the job done, said Frank Diehl, chairman of the Florida Tomato Committee in 2017-18.
During the 2017-18 season, for example, marketing efforts continued with what Diehl described as a “strong multimedia presence,” including digital, social media and video-streaming services, as well as events and in-store advertisements.
The campaign launched in January 2018 and ran through May. Ads streamed on the Hulu and Ott online channels for 13 weeks and included a 30-second commercial that featured Tomato Flatbread, Diehl said.
Supplemental digital advertising such as blogs, Twitter parties and social media continued, along with traditional retail incentive programs paid directly to retailers.
Tomatoes appeared in 37,000 ads in the U.S. and Canada, Diehl said in the committee’s annual report. Additionally, there were 12 sampling events in 200 stores including Publix, Kroger and Winn-Dixie.
Fresh From Florida works, said Chuck Weisinger, president and CEO of Weis-Buy Farms Inc., a Fort Myers, Fla.-based brokerage.
“We’re getting some positive feedback on that,” he said.
He likened Fresh From Florida to New Jersey’s Jersey Fresh program, which has been operating for nearly 30 years and has drawn praise from industry participants in the Garden State.
“Florida is trying to operate in a similar vein, and anything — anything — we can do to help market products is positive for us,” Weisinger said.
Florida’s tomato industry is relatively small, and suppliers are looking for efficient, easy marketing avenues, and Fresh From Florida fills that role nicely, Weisinger said.
“Most of us spend quite a bit of our time just trying to sell product,” he said.
“Marketing it is not the easiest thing in the world. It takes a lot of money and time, but the state is doing the best they can, and the Florida Tomato Committee also helps.”
Weisinger said retailers are doing their part.
“Some have moved not only tomatoes but all vegetables to the front of the store, so when you walk in, the first thing you see are flowers and tomatoes and peppers,” he said.
“The more successful retailers will concentrate on produce more and more. It’s a good moneymaker for them, and we hope the more they promote, the more we can market our product.”
Retailers are effective in merchandising Florida tomatoes, Weisinger said.
“I wish there were more areas we could help them with,” he said.
The Florida Tomato Exchange makes available point-of-purchase materials, which also helps, Weisinger said.
“We know pretty much when we’re going to have more volume, given weather conditions,” he said.
Timing also is important, Weisinger said.
“Normally, spring is a really good time to push Florida-grown products,” he said. “People feel that, then, we can maximize our advertising efforts. It’s a question of working with the chains and giving them opportunities and ideas that can market because people like eating tomatoes.”