The Potato Council has reported that its Potato Week at the beginning of October has had a major impact on attitudes of younger shoppers to potatoes.
Many of those in the 24-44 year-old age range showed a preference to buy a specific variety during the promotional event from 1-7 October this year.
The campaign launched a new shopper language that simply classifies potatoes to help consumers understand the breadth of the offer and give them a reason to buy named varieties. The week’s activities included a high-profile PR campaign, a print and digital advertising campaign, re-launch of the www.lovepotatoes.co.uk website and the Potato Council’s largest sampling campaign to date.
Extensive media coverage was generated with 173 pieces of coverage appearing during the week, including 31 broadcast pieces and 18 national press stories. This was supported by a dedicated digital and print advertising campaign placed in popular women’s magazines such as Hello!, OK!, Reveal and Heat, to reinforce key messages.
In association with five retail partners, over 37,000 potato samples were handed out, along with 55,000 Tasty Potato Guide recipe leaflets to explain the new classification, across 18 supermarkets. Shoppers were able to try the different varieties and see whether they fancied a “fluffy” roast, a “smooth” mash or a tasty “salad”.
Potato Council head of marketing and corporate affairs, Caroline Evans, said: “We’re absolutely delighted with the success of Potato Week this year. Not only has it led to some fantastic press coverage that has helped to launch our classification system and raise the profile of potatoes in general, but we’ve taken a real step forward in educating our audience that there are inherent differences between varieties. There was also great support from retailers who signed up to promote Potato Week.
“This is only the beginning though. It’s important that we continue to work together as an industry to promote the fresh potato classification system.
“We need to encourage consumers to choose varieties based on taste, texture and how they perform rather than on price, promotion or skin finish. Only then can we deliver the consistency they are looking for, increasing loyalty and value and securing a profitable long-term future for our industry.”
This comes a month after new data from Kantar Worldpanel earlier this month showed that the biggest drop in potato consumption is among 17-24-year-old women, declining by 6.4 per cent in the 52 weeks to September 2012.
Other highlights of the week included recipe drops to a number of TV presenters and radio broadcasters, while a radio day with celebrity chef James Martin helped to secure airtime on over 20 radio stations.
