Marketing snapshot - Hortlink 2017, edition 1

This Hort Innovation Macadamia Fund marketing snapshot has been taken from Hort Innovation’s Hortlink 2017, edition 1.

The end of 2016 and dawn of the new year has marked another dynamic period for the Australian Macadamias consumer and trade marketing campaigns. Festive-themed activity, powerful collaborations, and the unveiling of an exciting new global macadamia health research project all featured in the campaign’s highlights since the last edition of Hortlink.

Bringing health and beauty to life in Korea

Strong results were achieved in Korea via a strategic collaboration with Seny’s Casa, a popular Korean lifestyle blog. Two educational macadamia posts were produced, the first sharing in-depth information on Australia as the origin of macadamias and the nutritional benefits of the nuts, and the second focused on macadamia beauty tips and macadamia oil for skin care. The beautifully presented content exposed core macadamia messaging to a new audience, and was also leveraged via the Australian Macadamias Korean Facebook page, reaching more than 16,000 people.

‘What’s on the menu’ with Matt Golinksi

November last year marked the release of the third chef profile in the Australian Macadamias What’s on the menu content series. Celebrity chef and Gympie Regional Food Ambassador Matt Golinski shared his childhood macadamia memories, his seasonal approach to menu creation, his passion for meeting local farmers and why he loves the versatility of macadamias. More chef profiles, able to be leveraged with the media, are expected during 2017.

Medibank cross-promotion delivers healthy results

A collaboration with Australian health fund Medibank has exposed macadamia messaging to a new audience while adding nearly 1000 new subscribers to the Australian Macadamias consumer email database.

In November, Medibank’s subscribers and social media fans were invited to submit a macadamia-themed poem for the chance to win a year’s supply of macadamia nuts. The offer reached more than 157,000 people on Medibank’s Facebook page, with additional reach achieved via Medibank’s e-newsletter, blog, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Very merry Facebook results in Taiwan

Christmas is a key promotion period for Australian Macadamias consumer campaigns globally. The team in Taiwan ended 2016 on a high note, creating a fun macadamia-themed Facebook carousel game with strong results. Facebook fans were invited to identify the number of macadamia Santas hiding on a table, and post the carousel image showing their favourite macadamia Christmas dish for the chance to win a macadamia prize. The activity reached more than 42,000 people and generated almost 7000 likes, comments and shares.

2017 Australian Macadamias calendar

Each year an Australian Macadamias wall calendar is produced, filled with delicious seasonal macadamia recipes and growing cycle insights. Distributed to supporters and fans, it encourages a year filled with ‘Macadamia Moments’. This year’s calendar was used in a new year giveaway on the Australian Macadamias Facebook page, and was promoted as a free download in the Christmas edition of the consumer e-newsletter, delivering the highest click-through rate of 2016. It was also the most clicked link in the January issue of the Australian Macadamias global trade e-newsletter.

China campaign video launch

The China consumer campaign for Australian Macadamias kicked off 2017 with the launch of a three-minute online TV video starring beauty influencer Vivian Xu.

Featuring on the Australian Macadamias Chinese campaign website and social media channels, the video brings the campaign’s core messaging to life, as Vivian shows how macadamias nourish her from the inside out as a convenient snack and a potent skincare ingredient. The beauty narrative is overlaid with the Australian macadamia growing story, attracting excellent engagement and putting the campaign firmly on the path to achieving its target of 15 million impressions. The video also features on Vivian’s Weibo and WeChat channels, exposing macadamia messaging to a wider audience and driving additional reach.

Research to unearth macadamia health secrets

In January, the global macadamia industry announced a €200,000 grant for health research. Designed to enhance the understanding of the health benefits of macadamias, it’s the largest collective initiative ever undertaken by the global macadamia community, with the investment co-funded by the macadamia producers of Australia, South Africa, Malawi, Kenya and Brazil. This landmark collaboration will provide strong evidence to support the role of macadamias in a healthy diet, helping to guide powerful health messaging to consumers, health professionals and regulators in all markets. The findings are expected to deliver the hard data needed to support macadamias’ long-term premium positioning, opening up new opportunities for the product.