This column appears in the January 2021 issue of Potato Grower.
This holiday season, family gatherings looked a little different than in past years. They were smaller, many were virtual and some were canceled all together.
The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is critical to the Idaho potato industry. More potatoes are purchased during this six-week period than any other time of year. With such a drastic shift in how folks were celebrating, we needed to make sure our marketing programs kept Idaho potatoes top-of-mind, provided new recipe suggestions for those who may be entertaining fewer friends and family, and reminded consumers that the best way to normalize this unusual holiday season was to embrace traditions, including comfort foods like Idaho potatoes.
We launched a marketing campaign in early November that was designed to reach consumers at many different touchpoints.
National TV Commercial
After the election, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) began airing its new television commercial, which we call “Side Dish.” It features Idaho potatoes as anything but side dishes. The 30-, 15- and 10- second spots are airing on cable stations with very high viewership like Fox News, CNN, Headline News, History, Food Network, HGTV, Cooking Channel, Hallmark, NBC Sports, ESPN and Freeform, as well as streaming platforms Discovery Go and Hulu.
AllRecipes.com
For many, AllRecipes.com is the go-to website for meal planning, especially during the holidays. It’s the No. 1 recipe site, with over 29 million unique monthly visitors—primarily women ages 25 to 54, one of the IPC’s target audiences. To promote Idaho potatoes to website visitors, the IPC created and promoted new recipe videos, launched recipe integrations, posted banner ads and provided digital recipe cards.
Digital Grocery
According to Supermarket News, nearly 80 percent of Americans have shopped for groceries online since the coronavirus outbreak. Experts believe this number will remain high for months to come, and we wanted to make sure Idaho potatoes were available to shoppers through three online grocery sites: Instacart, Albertsons and Kroger. Through targeted display ads and keyword searches, boosted Idaho potato searches, and digital aisle placements, the IPC was able to increase Idaho’s share of online potato purchases during the busiest grocery shopping season of the year.
Social Media
Idaho potato’s social media presence has increased steadily every year due in large part to strategic partnerships and promotions. To kick off the holiday season, the IPC worked with The FeedFeed, a popular Instagram page with 1.9 million passionate foodie followers. During the first week of November, a FeedFeed executive chef hosted a live culinary demo preparing Idaho potato muffin tin gratins. Viewers had a chance to win fresh Idaho potatoes, cookware and a Visa gift card.
Retail Support
The IPC’s new retail ad campaign uses striking imagery to capture retailers’ attention and encouraging them to take a closer look at changing sales trends before placing their next potato order. This was especially important during this unique holiday season. To further support this message, the IPC emailed a flyer to all its retail customers encouraging them to stock up on Idaho potatoes in November and December. The flyer, which can be found on the IPC website, is supported by sales data and underscores that consumers’ shopping habits are shifting toward larger pack sizes.
Foodservice
Unique and innovative uses for Idaho potatoes is the theme of this year’s new print ad campaign that launched in September. Throughout the year, including the holidays, six different recipes, created by well-known chefs from across the country, will be prominently featured in magazines like Plate, Flavor & the Menu and Restaurant Business. The recipes range from plant-forward satay, to a twist on latkes and most importantly, all are takeout-friendly—a major shift in service the restaurant industry has had to embrace due to coronavirus. We’re certain takeout will remain popular throughout the holidays, and we want to make sure Idaho potatoes are on the menu.
These activities complement and are supported by our ongoing public relations efforts that include an extensive media outreach campaign prompting reporters to include Idaho potatoes in their holiday stories.
From all of us at the IPC, we wish you a healthy and happy 2021.