By Oster & Associates president Bev Oster

Many new fruits and vegetables have been introduced to the market in the last 20 years. Star fruit, dragon fruit and sunburst squash might not resonate yet with consumers. How do we eat them? How do we cut them?

The unfamiliarity of the products scares consumers away, and instead of trying something new, they feel more comfortable buying produce they are used to, such as bananas or zucchinis. How do we get consumers to add those products to their shopping carts?

The explosion of offerings in the produce aisle brings challenges to produce companies. First, companies need to make sure their produce is going to stand out next to the competition. Branding will help these products differentiate themselves. But it takes more than just a name and a logo.

Produce companies need to properly introduce new fruits and vegetables to consumers before expecting them to buy. Brands need to implement marketing programs that will educate consumers on what this unusual-looking item is. Combined, both branding and marketing will increase awareness and make consumers comfortable with a trial.

Recently, Oster and Associates partnered with Wild River Marketing to promote a new variety of kiwifruit, a gold kiwifruit. Less known than its cousin, the green kiwifruit, the gold kiwifruit has a sweeter taste and a yellow and juicier flesh.

To drive awareness to this exotic fruit, branding is an important step that tends to be overlooked in our industry. Consumers are accustomed to buying most products by brand. The brand shares a story, makes a promise and promotes the uniqueness of the product. It rises above the commodity.  For example, kids don’t ask for mandarins, they ask for Cuties. To kick-start gold kiwifruit with consumers, we introduced TropiKiwi, including packaging. This helped build the fruit’s identity and distinguish it from the commodity kiwifruit.

Branding goes beyond development of a logo and even a package.  An intriguing name isn’t enough to convince people to buy something unfamiliar. Branding needs to be completed with an integrated marketing program that will educate and excite consumers about new produce.

Consumers, and especially millennials, want to learn more about what they are buying. The gold kiwifruit, for example, contains the vitamin C of two oranges, more potassium than a banana and is a good source of fiber while still being low in calories and sugar. Most people don’t know these super fruits' benefits, and the knowledge makes these great selling points.

In-store promotions such as sampling allow consumers to taste new foods without having to commit to buying. Merchandising such as grab-and-go displays, supported by appropriate PR placements, can help showcase new produce, share nutritious facts, their origins, fun stories and recipes that will inspire shoppers.

Learning from the avocado industry's success

Let’s take a look at the success of avocados. In the ‘90s, because of a lack of familiarity, many people were perceiving avocados as an unhealthy, fat fruit, and consumers would not understand when it was its prime to eat. The California Avocado Commission (CAC) and avocado brands have been working hard to promote the fruit.

Advertising, public relations and in-store promotions have been used to educate consumers about the health benefits and fun ways to eat avocados. Smart marketing tactics increased awareness and diversified avocado usage, including it in breakfast, lunch and even desserts. Avocados are now one of America’s favorite fruits with 5.8 pounds consumed per capita in 2014 compared to 1.1 pounds in 1999.

The brand Avocados from Mexico is new to the market, but it has successfully differentiated itself and taken advantage of the Super Bowl.  It is not only a sporting event but a popular party happening right in the high avocado season. They are one of the rare produce organizations advertising during the Super Bowl, but who wouldn’t put the Super Bowl and guacamole together? By associating themselves to one of the most popular event of the year and emphasizing the Mexican origin, the association successfully increased their brand awareness.

With the explosion of offerings in retail stores, we realize the importance of turning commodities into brands. We learn from the avocados success how important it is to complete branding by properly introducing consumers to new produce.

To raise awareness of exotic produce items like gold kiwifruit, brands need to implement an integrated marketing program, including advertising, public relations, social media promotions, blogger outreach and in-store promotions.  Educate consumers about your new, unique offering. Share information and consumers will be intrigued with potential recipes and health benefits. And that intrigue will consequently boost sales.

www.freshfruitportal.com