Like wide-eyed and curious three-year-olds, our marketing minds naturally question “why?”, “how?” and “what next?” with every decision, campaign and effort we take on. This also extends to anything we see taking shape that we believe could benefit the fresh produce industry or increase demand of its products.

So this past year when Team FNV made its big, bold entrance onto the fresh produce stage, naturally our team was intrigued. We’ve watched the campaign from afar (and written about it here, here and here) primarily as silent observers and consumers of their digital content, all the while asking ourselves and our industry colleagues “why?”, “how?” and “what next?”

Recently I had the chance to speak with Dana DeSantis with Partnership for a Healthier America, the group behind the FNV initiative, to discuss all things FNV. The curious marketer in me was thrilled.

Here are the three biggest questions that I was hopeful to learn more about during my call with Dana:

• How is FNV measuring success?
• How will individual fresh produce brands be incorporated into the campaign?
• What’s next for the campaign?

How FNV is Measuring Success

FNV is executing 360° marketing campaigns in two test markets – Norfolk, VA, and Fresno, CA – which include advertising, events, and in-store activations to target teens and early millennials. The campaign is measuring success in these markets both quantitatively and attitudinally. Using Nielsen data, the group is determining sales fluctuations and they are also conducting surveys throughout the campaign to gauge consumer attitudes based on ad exposure. The surveys and sales analysis will continue at regular intervals and initial results have been positive. For example, in one of the test markets, there was a 6% reduction in respondents who said they “will not eat fruits and/or veggies in the next week.” Our understanding is that complete results have not been published yet.

How Can Individual Fresh Produce Brands Get Involved or Collaborate?

During my call with Dana, I learned that the campaign is somewhat limited by their many celebrity endorsements, as the celebs’ participation/representation extends to only the FNV brand and not any individual partner brands. FNV’s plan to increase the number of fresh produce partners consists of identifying ways that fresh brands can tie back to FNV with a focus on packaging. The participation levels for this expansion plan were yet to be finalized when I spoke with Dana, but I learned that most entry price points would be six figures and that the group isn’t looking to secure financial commitments of less than $50,000.

So What’s Next for FNV?

They hope to take the campaign national once they secure funding, however they are considering a couple different strategies to get there. Option one is to partner with national brands and go big (we’re talking “sea to shining sea”) right out of the gate. Another option is to continue down the path they started with the test markets and grow more organically and regionally.

No matter the path this group chooses to go down, and however their extended partnership opportunities come together, I’m excited to see how and where they go. I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to speak with the folks at Partnership for a Healthier America because I understand much more about FNV than I did before. I look forward to continued conversations about how we can work together to advance our mutual missions.