Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, the largest marketer of South African topfruit, is backing the development of Abate Fetel pears in the country, with plans to run a series of promotions aimed at boosting demand for the variety.
Starting this month, the group will advertise Abate Fetel – originally an Italian variety – on television with broadcasters DSTV, ETV and SABC, delivering its Takeaways from Nature message in order to drive sales.
Via other channels like SMS and social media, meanwhile, it will encourage consumers to engage in a special competition and in-store tastings.
According to Tru-Cape marketing director Conrad Fick, the challenge will be tailor the campaign so that it is relevant not only to shoppers at the selected stores where Abate Fetel is sold, but to all consumers.
“We’re inviting Tru-Cape customers to visit one of the 34 participating outlets, the details of which are on the Tru-Cape.com site, and to take a selfie at the tasting station and hashtag #AbateFetel #storename,” he explained.
To enter, the participant must upload their picture to Tru-Cape’s Facebook page and use the #TruSnack hashtag. One winner, selected at random, will win an iPad Air 2 with a Tru-Cape branded cover.
A further burst of promotional activity will engage with those who can’t access the tasting stations, capitalising on a recent social media-based food photography trend by inviting customers to purchase Abate Fetel pears, visit the Tru-Cape website for recipe inspiration and then post their resulting creations.
A second iPad winner will be chosen at random from these entrants, Fick confirmed.
Try-Cape is providing below-the-line information and recipe leaflets to be inserted into bags, as well as point-of-purchase materials to complement the tastings.
The group’s managing director Roelf Pienaar said that with each season Abate Fetel is marketed, more and more consumers are getting to experience the pear’s apparent versatility.
He pointed out that Abate Fetel was unlike most other pears that need to be ripened at home, making it good to eat either fresh and crisp, or as it ripens and the white flesh becomes juicy.
“People also seem to like [the fact] that Abate Fetel is Italy’s favourite pear and one of the most ancient; it was cultivated by a French Monk, Abbe Fetel, in 1866.”
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