It's a common story in the fruit industry the world over; you toil all year for a good crop and just when you least expect it, disaster strikes.

Growers can adopt a range of measures to mitigate damages from weather events like hail, but there will often be a portion of fruit with superficial blemishes that is still fine for consumption but may be rejected by supermarkets or wholesalers.

This is where Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) have come up with an innovative marketing campaign to raise consumer awareness and support grower returns - the 'Hailstorm Heroes' pear campaign, with two characters to promote the fruit impacted by two hailstorms in Victoria last year.

Between November and December 2015, APAL managed a range of short-term marketing projects whilst Horticulture Australia Innovation Ltd (Hort Innovation) secured a new dedicated person to manage the apple and pear marketing program.

During that time APAL developed a full pear campaign targeting the following key message pillars: health and nutrition; snacking; versatility; product attributes; and provenance. The campaign comes to life with pear characters who each tell a story

In addition to the core campaign, APAL developed two unique characters, Guru Pear and Battler Pear that are part of the Hailstorm Heroes team.

These characters aim to tell the story of the hail storms that hit the Goulburn Valley and encourage customers to buy hail-affected fruit. All the creative work has been completed under APAL’s management and shared with pear growers in the Goulburn Valley.

www.freshfruitportal.com