Eagle, ID – Three grand prize winners are grilling in style this summer, after taking home high-end Traeger meat smokers and smoking kits in the 2024 Idaho Potato Lovers Display Contest.
For the first time ever, the 33rd annual Idaho Potato Commission competition presented a sweepstakes prize to one random winner in each region of the country, says Ross Johnson, IPC vice president of retail and international, as part of the $150,000-plus in cash and prizes awarded through the contest. The number of retail display entries jumped by nearly a third this year, too, as produce managers nationwide let their creative juices flow in support of stellar spuds.
“We’re spreading the wealth with three grand prizes instead of one, but everyone who enters the annual display contest is a winner,” says Johnson. “Each entrant this year received a free BBQ grill tool kit, and every year these imaginative Idaho potato displays generate sales lifts for produce departments across the country.”
In fact, IPC research has found that test stores with secondary displays of Idaho russets deliver a nearly 10 times growth advantage, while comparison stores with no secondary display achieve an average category growth of only 2.5 percent.
Retailers competed with other same-size stores in one of three categories: 1-5 cash registers, 6-9 cash registers, or 10+ cash registers. Within each store category, entrants were eligible to win cash prizes.
The Category Manager Match Program awarded equivalent prizes to corporate category managers for stores that qualified for a 1st through 5th place prize or the sweepstakes Traeger set.
In-store displays were required to incorporate fresh Idaho potatoes (bag, bulk or both) with a clear label showing the Idaho name and the “Grown in Idaho” seal, along with a clearly marked Idaho dehydrated potato product. The display also had to use IPC 2024 special themed point-of-sale materials: two double-sided Idaho Potato Lovers logo display signs, one large and two small double-sided signs with an appetizing photo, and three inflatable Mylar Idaho potato balloons. Displays were required to be in the store’s produce section for at least one week between Feb. 1 and March 31, 2024.
In addition to the retail campaign, the Idaho Potato Commission ran an internal contest with the Military Commissaries. Each of the six different sales groups, based on size of the base, had an internal competition to grow sales of Idaho Potatoes. “This year’s program was a great way to give back to the stores that serve our military members,” said Ross Johnson. The sales contest drove an increase of 36 percent in volume of Idaho Potatoes sold through the Commissary’s throughout the US.
To see the 2024 winning displays, visit www.IdahoPotato.com/Retail.
For more information, visit www.idahopotato.com.