Marketing snapshot - Hortlink 2017, edition 3

This Hort Innovation Chestnut Fund marketing snapshot has been taken from Hort Innovation’s Hortlink 2017, edition 3.

Hort Innovation invests the chestnut marketing levy into a range of activities to drive awareness and consumption, under the Hort Innovation Chestnut Fund. For the current quarter of reporting, the chestnut marketing program focused on a three-tiered approach including consumer-facing events, point of sale material, and bolstering the online presence of chestnuts through imagery.

Events

The smell of roasting chestnuts is always a winner with consumers – and at the La Fiera Italian Festival, over 180kg of chestnuts were roasted! Chestnut recipe brochures were also handed out to many of the festival attendees, with 5000 people visiting the festival, which took place in Myrtleford at the end of May.  A masterclass was run with chestnut ambassador Stefano Manfredi, and was attended by more than 80 eager consumers.

Point of sale material

Helping consumers to use chestnuts in their everyday cooking means that point of sale recipe brochures have again been the main marketing strategy for 2017 to inspire  purchasing choices. A second brochure in the series ‘Make everyday meals special with chestnuts’ was launched at the start of the season with approximately 60,000 copies being distributed throughout the major wholesale markets in Australia.

Bolstering online presence

New, emotive imagery has been gathered, showcasing chestnut cooking methods, uses and lifestyle photography. The images are for publication on the Australian Chestnuts consumer website and for ongoing marketing requirements.

As reported in the last edition of Hortlink, the Australian Chestnuts website has also had a refresh, with an easy to navigate, consumer-facing journey now available for people to visit and view a range of information, including recipes, tips for selecting, preparing and storing chestnuts, and nutrition information. Be sure to browse the site yourself: www.chestnutsaustralia.com.au.