Marketing snapshot - 2018/19

Hort Innovation is responsible for investing the papaya marketing levy into a range of activities to drive awareness and consumption of the fruit, under the Hort Innovation Papaya Fund. Read on for a snapshot of activities and results from 2018/19.

The 2018/19 marketing program marked the start of a new three-year strategy to drive growth for the industry. The focus was on increasing the number of households that purchase papaya by positioning Australian papaya as a delicious and ideal fruit for families, particularly with its strong health benefits across the different life stages.

Public relations (PR)

As part of securing media coverage and conversation about Australia papaya, a number of different activities were undertaken. Overall these activities delivered a total of 12.2 million opportunities for people to see papaya content through a mixture of traditional and online coverage. The activities included:

Media materials and outreach

Media materials including seasonal press releases, new papaya-inspired recipes, hampers, and tips and fact sheets were used to engage media and influencers to drive conversation and coverage about Australian papaya during the spring and autumn peaks. The 2018 Australian Papaya Nutrition Review was also used.

To emphasise the health benefits of Australian papaya for families, there was a continued partnership with Accredited Practising Dietitian Caitlin Reid. Caitlin’s authority as a health professional provided credibility to health messages. Specifically, Caitlin provided two social media posts on Instagram, quotes for a press release, a presentation at a media event (described below), and was available as a spokesperson for media interviews.

Media event

To further engage and excite media about Australian papaya and amplify key messages to consumers, particularly during the spring peak, a major media event was organised. Media and influencers were hosted at a curated papaya lunch to build key relationships and inspire and educate guests. Papaya grower Daniel Mackay represented the industry, by providing a season update and sharing insights on growing, varieties and the farm. Ambassador Caitlin Reid shared the latest health information.

Attendees included Woman’s Day and Better Homes & Gardens, as well as health and food influencers such as Nadia Felsch and Guy Turland (Bondi Harvest). Coverage from the event directly resulted in 43 media and social mentions with more than 1.8 million opportunities for people to see papaya content.

Social media

The Papaya Australia Facebook page (www.facebook.com/papayaaustralia) performed well during the year, with a strong fan base and high level of community engagement (10 per cent average engagement rate versus a five per cent target).

A mix of created and curated content that focused on varietal information, grower updates and recipe inspiration was employed to drive awareness, education and inspiration among target audiences. Grower content appealed greatly to fans – when accompanied with a seasonal update it garnered high engagement and reach on the page. With two posts per week, the page achieved 1.8 million opportunities for people to see the content.

Sampling events

Essential Baby & Toddler Show, Sydney

Papaya Australia featured at the Sydney Essential Baby & Toddler Show during September 2018. The intent was to drive awareness and tighten relevance of Australian papaya among expecting and new mums as well as young families, due to its benefits during pregnancy and as a baby superfood. Over 18,000 showgoers had the opportunity to see Papaya Australia at the event and 5250 samples and 10,100 recipe cards were distributed.

The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) Smart Eating Week

Papaya Australia was also involved at this year’s DAA’s Smart Eating Week event with Bupa in February 2019, to ensure the health messages for papaya were amplified into the new year.

Bupa dietitians supported the week by hosting two events – one in Melbourne, and one in Sydney. Over the course of the week, 150 attendees engaged with resident dietitians, sampling papaya (including with lime) and learning about the fruit and its powerful health benefits.

Feedback received was extremely positive, with attendees taking significant interest in the papaya recipes and health report. Bupa expressed thanks to the growers for generously supporting and donating fruit for the event.

The Sydney Royal Easter Show

Papaya Australia was part of the tropical fruit exhibit at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in April 2019. The event was leveraged to drive awareness of Australian papaya among consumers, particularly young families, and to educate showgoers on the health benefits. It was estimated that 901,000 people attended the 2019 Royal Easter Show.

The exhibit was brought to life with a stand at which brand ambassadors engaged with showgoers through sampling of fresh papaya (with lime option) and distribution of brochures, inclusive of papaya benefits, a papaya-inspired recipe and call out to the Papaya Australia website and social page. Papaya growers were also on hand on peak days to interact with consumers, share their knowledge and provide insights into life on the papaya farm.

The response to the stand was overwhelmingly positive, with crowds and queues forming at the tropical exhibit. The vibrant colours ensured maximum cut-through and strong visibility. An estimated 675,000 showgoers was exposed to the Papaya Australia brand. Over the course of the event, 35,280 papaya samples and 38,000 brochures were distributed. The cost per sample was efficient, at $0.55 per sample.