The Michigan asparagus season concluded one week earlier than usual with ample volume available for summer festivities. To drive sales, the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board (MAAB) enacted marketing strategies including retail promotions, influencer marketing, and digital campaigns which further emphasized the importance of buying local and how that translates into supporting communities one spear at a time.
With barbecues, summer parties, and gatherings aplenty, shoppers sought to add flavor and flair back into their recipe lineup, providing Michigan asparagus a platform to showcase the vegetable's nutritional value. As healthy eating has continued to prevail, the association highlighted 12 unique recipes which resulted in more than 37,500 social media impressions.
Clover Adams says the MAAB worked with eight retailers across the Midwest to invest in digital campaigns, point of sale (POS), and in-store demos to drive the locally grown/locally sourced messaging home.
The MAAB continued investing in its product by strengthening its social media presence through vibrant imagery, and videos, and working with recipe creators. These content creators developed new content and took their followers on a journey to learn more about the field-to-table process as well as educating them about the families responsible for growing Michigan Asparagus. This year's influencers included a college student and his dog as the "creator/talent" and a mom/recipe creator – both who target a mix of Gen-Z individuals and Millennial families. Overall analytics garnered 44,000 engagements with a total reach of more than 19,000.
The MAAB worked with eight key retailers across the Midwest making a significant investment in digital campaigns, point of sale (POS), and in-store demos to drive the locally grown/locally sourced messaging home. To increase brand awareness and tell the story about why incorporating a dynamic vegetable brings meals to life, this year's mix of traditional and programmatic advertising reached thousands of consumers, showing people want to know where their food comes from.
"When it comes to quality and premium flavor, Michigan asparagus has it all," says Jamie Clover Adams, executive director of the MAAB. "By enacting new and eye-catching strategies and highlighting the vibrant yet nutritious nature of our favorite vegetable, we created a great teaser that ultimately translated into higher foot traffic and an increase in sales during key purchasing periods."
The MAAB looks forward to next season and is preparing for new opportunities to get Michigan asparagus onto the plates of consumers.
For more information:
Jamie Clover Adams
Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board
Tel: +1 (517) 669-4250
[email protected]
www.michiganasparagus.org