Fresh Summit 2014: What Blew Us Away

2014-Fresh-SummitSomething very special happened in Anaheim last weekend as the topic of “MARKETING” took center stage at this year’s Fresh Summit. In previous years, the annual conference and expo has shown a spotlight on subjects like food safety, sustainability, technology and other focus areas that are important to our industry. And while those topics are still top of mind, this year PMA encouraged fresh produce marketers to evolve our thinking, our approach and our practices when working to connect to target audiences. This year as we experienced Fresh Summit with 22,000+ fellow produce professionals, we were delighted to see momentum put forth toward our industry’s willingness and ability to secure our seat at the Food Marketing Table.

Our anticipated list of “What Blew Us Away” is comprised of messages, lessons and tactics discovered throughout the event. We’ve highlighted three themes that stood out to us during the show, along with a few memorable and jaw dropping moments the DMA Solutions team experienced. Each year at the show we are blown away by the beauty, the energy, the growth and, of course, you, and this year’s event was no exception.

Embracing the Digital Age

From the State of the Industry message to Gary Vaynerchuk’s Sunday general session, digital marketing was a keystone strategy presented at Fresh Summit as a way for produce companies to drive demand for our products and compete with other food choices in the food marketing space. Here are just a few ways we experienced the power of the digital age in Anaheim:

  • Cathy Burns’ and Bryan Silbermann’s State of the Industry message about progressive marketing and technology and how it will propel our industry forward certainly piqued our interest and we agree! teamgaryveeBryan reported that “81% of smartphone users believe that tech has improved how they eat,” and if that’s not proof that our digital marketing efforts are essential to driving demand, we don’t know what is! Check back for a link to the State of the Industry soon.
  • We were honored and excited to host a full house of fresh produce marketers at our educational session, Competitive Marketing in the Digital Age. The ideas presented by the teams’ leaders during the interactive exercise were creative, strategic and thorough – an indication that many of us are pushing ourselves to take advantage of digital to connect with audiences on a deeper level.
  • Gary Vaynerchuk impressed us with his research and understanding about our industry’s current approach to engaging with consumers on social channels. He didn’t tiptoe around anything, and delivered a blunt and powerful message about how our industry needs to start marketing like its 2015 – not 1995. His outside perspective offered key insights that we will be writing about for months to come.
  • digital1Not knowing your audience and going to market is like trying to drive a car without seeing the road ahead. Identifying buyer personas will “ultimately allow us to be smarter when defining a marketing strategy that motivates buyers to choose your companies and/or products and services over the competitors”.  And we were very pleased to be introduced to “Maya”, Avocados from Mexico’s Nueva Latina buyer persona, in their Fresh Summit booth.  Having identified Maya as a desirable target for their products and developed a keen understanding of who she is, we are certain that Avocados from Mexico will entice and delight all those “Mayas” out there on a regular basis.
  • Influencer presence on the show floor has never been as engaging as what we experienced this year and we were very encouraged. Brands joined influencers in partnerships both in-booth and via #FreshSummit on social throughout the show to foster engagement. Among the top influencers attending the show, @ProduceMom was a social media stand-out with her activity and engagement with the brands and people attending the show.
  • We were excited to see that Jeff Dunn, President and Chief Carrot Officer at Bolthouse Farms, was honored with the Marketer of the Year Award. Jeff is one of our digital marketing heroes, and his team’s work to “market like junk food” has elevated the brand to new heights. A much deserved achievement and example to us all of the power digital holds!

Reaching Across Generations with Popular Trends

smoothieAs the digital age makes global cuisine concepts readily available to curious cooks via the Internet, consumers are eager to try foods from a variety of cultures, like Thai, Vietnamese, and authentic regional Italian. Among these eager consumers are millennials and the up-and-coming Generation Z. Gen Z has been and will be exposed to more diverse cultures in their lifetime than any other generation of Americans preceding them.  On top of this, this growing generation of consumers have never known a world without smart phones and tablets, and therefore are curious to explore new cultures and information readily available to them on the Internet. Appreciation of these generations and others were present all the way from the session breakouts to product samples handed out on the show floor.

  • Asian flavors and influencers were big on the show floor in samples and recipes during the show. Ginger, citrus and soy were top flavor enhancers used to bring out the tastes of a variety of products, like Bolthouse’s Asian-inspired dressings, Duda Farm Fresh Foods and Chef Todd Fisher’s Bahn Mi sandwiches or Chelan Fresh’s fun ‘Frushi’!photo_(3)
  • Smoothies and juicing products had a HUGE presence at this year’s show. This trend is on point with consumer interests and comes at just the right time – January and the “get fit” season is right around the corner! A few products we fell in love with include Stemilt’s “Fresh Blenders,” apples perfect for blending and juicing, Concord Food’s Apple & Kale smoothie mix, and Fresh Express’ Juicing Greens.
  • We, and moms everywhere, love that healthy swaps and fast snacks are becoming more accessible and portable. Brands like Mamma Chia, Tender Grown Raw Leaf Crisps, Chia Pod and Rhythm SuperFoods Kale Chips are all working to kalemake healthy snacks and on-the-go meals easier than ever before. We were even more impressed to see brands realizing the “power of FRESH” in an effort to align themselves with us in the grocery store. Rhythm Superfoods Field Marketing Associate, Atlee Sigmon, explained that their Kale Chips sell better when they are merchandised in the produce section.
  • And last but certainly not least, SUNSET continues to show us that they really know how to delight their audiences and create buzz surrounding their brand, no matter the generation. From happy Gen Z faces featured in the booth’s graphics to the Millennial Flavor Crew staffing the Flavor Tour Food Truck feeding us tasty bites, to the buzzed about SUNSET ROCKS party featuring Gen X and Boomer fave hair band Poison, we are consistently impressed with SUNSET’s blitz approach to marketing and art for creating buzz during the show. 

Transformational Packaging

Traditionally, our industry has felt challenged to keep branding prominent on items sold in bulk. But this year, we were blown away by many of your efforts to change that – with creative packaging that embraces both the consumers’ desire for convenience while keeping your brand on display. Many items that we are accustomed to seeing in bulk have been transformed into convenience packages that will lead the consumer to connect with the product and your story on a new level.

  • freskaFreska’s new mangoes sold in packs of 4 has allowed the brand to keep their logo present on their mangos while also delighting retailers. Pedro Dominquez explained to us in the booth that retailers love the boxes because the packaging has reduced the rate that customers have picked through the product on the shelf and have been motivated to simply grab a box and put it in their cart.
  • We loved seeing the increased focus on delighting children from the acceleration of the Eat Brighter Campaign to the new products and packaging that positions fresh fruits and vegetables in an exciting way. With 17% of children ages 2 to 19 considered obese according to the CDC, this approach is a step in the right direction to appeal to children with our products. Among them, we appreciated the clever design of Bolthouse’s Veggie Snackers and Crunch Pak’s Flavorz, which resemble Happy Meals ®.

flavorz

  • avogatorWe couldn’t help but notice how many products were packed in pairs for a smaller, more portable and usable packages. Green Giant has a few great examples about how they are making strides to continue to further build brand equity in the fresh produce department. Two eggplants in a bag, three avocadoes in a bag, you name it. We also loved Shanley Farms’ “Gator Eggs,” which featured single serving sized avocadoes in an egg carton – very clever!
  • We were so proud to see Katie from Katie’s Krop’s representing Tasteful Selections at this year’s show.  The company teamed up with Katie for a special on pack promotion first introduced at the show. We first featured Katie in The Core last year and by the end of 2013, she had captured the attention of Wisconsin based Tasteful Selections, who committed proceeds from specially marked promotional bags to fund youth-led gardens. Katie is a classic example that one person fighting for FRESH can actually move mountains – in this case, mountains of potatoes.

katie's krops

In addition, the DMA Solutions team was absolutely blown away by the feel, the cause and the engagement that took place during the event.  Here a few highlights and impressive stats that blew us away.

  • Tour de Fresh – 41 cyclists from the fresh produce industry, on 275 miles of open California road, raised over $124,000 for 42 salad bars to schools.
  • The Women’s Fresh Perspectives Breakfast – Nine years of leadership, over 400 registered attendees and growing.
  • The Pack Career Pathways Program – 11 years bringing college students to Fresh Summit and 176 students placed in jobs or internships.
  • Opening Reception – 14 local food trucks featuring foodie finds and fresh produce.  Endless amounts of newfound energy under a clear California night sky.
  • 5K Race for Talent – In its sixth year, the event drew a new record of participation with over 1,000 runners.
  • Exposition – Jam packed show floor on Saturday with over 22,000 attendees from all over the world.
  • General Sessions – Three slam dunk presentations highlighting the importance of evolution, connection and reaching our potential as food marketers.

Our hats tip to the entire PMA team that brought the event together this year, with the fantastic networking opportunities, global connections and informative sessions. If, as an industry, we are able to put into practice the messages we learned this past weekend, there will be no stopping the produce industry from increasing demand and delighting the consumers we hope to reach. Click here to see PMA’s highlights from the conference, including videos, recaps and photos.

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