As many of you may have seen (if you follow along with us on social media, at least), we launched what we call #FebruaryFanFest to highlight some of the biggest entertainment events of the year that happen to occur in February. While for the past several years we’ve followed the lessons, inspiration, and marketing opportunities presented during the Super Bowl, this year we went further and tuned into the entertainment industry also covering the Grammys and Oscars.
We wanted to find out where fresh took the stage–and where we didn’t even make the call-back list.
Super Bowl
Of the events we covered, the Super Bowl was the star of fresh promotion, with a few great mentions that put this industry front and center. Of course, Avocados From Mexico led the charge with several efforts on and off television. This is not surprising, since approximately 12% of America’s annual avocado consumption happens during Super Bowl week. The Simple Truth company and H-E-B also made sure that fresh was prevalent throughout their ads. A common theme during the ads, however, seemed to be that fresh was the butt of a joke, or not a viable go-to snack compared to peanuts or french fries.
Grammys
The Grammy Awards, on the other hand, were swarmed by ads more centered on the party lifestyle involving alcohol or as no surprise, fast food. The Silk #ProgressIsPerfection ad was one of the few that actually showed fresh, and in positive light. With an appearance from Michelle Obama, a heavy fresh food advocate, there was a lot more potential for fresh to take the stage. (Though a lemon would have gone well with Cardi B’s clam dress; just saying.)
Oscars
Speaking of viral memes, the Oscars produced the biggest meme all year with Gaga and Cooper’s performance that had our Slack channels ablaze—and marketing minds working. Fresh again didn’t make an appearance, but fresh brands really missed an opportunity to capitalize on that Melissa McCarthy rabbit outfit (hey carrot companies, where you at?!). And especially when there is a signature cocktail every year (hello, limelight for last year and old-fashioned for this year), there should be a fruit sponsor. Overall, we just figured the invitation for a fresh presence must have gotten lost in the mail (perhaps alongside those oft-maligned and misunderstood grocery store circular ads?).
There are so many ways fresh could take center stage instead of watching from the wings. For example, why couldn’t there be a push for fresh not only on the commercials, but as a part of the events as well–after all, entertaining has always included good food! Engaging on social is an easy way to make your brand’s presence known during a major event. Developing social content around the event before is also advised in order to start to engage with audiences who also plan on watching.
Even if we don’t have the marketing dollars for an ad buy on national television, there are a couple ways we CAN start becoming part of the conversation on social, including:
- Trend-jack: like the example shared above of California Giant’s Oscar berries, brands have the opportunity to make fun, and socially relevant and engaging content around trending events and topics!
- Live-engage: while it may not be feasible to make a big media ad buy, social costs much less and has more eyes!
Regardless of the size of your marketing budget, know that you can still make an impact during these major events—which means it’s time to get to planning! After all, March Madness is right around the corner…
Written by Core authors Mariah Demery and Lexi Cassidy
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