PMA A-NZ and Produce Plus have announced the return of the Marketer of the Year Award, recognising for the third year outstanding achievement in the marketing of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers in Australia and/or New Zealand.
The PMA-Produce Plus Marketer of the Year Award 2014 will be presented at the PMA Fresh Connections conference and trade show when it heads to Auckland, New Zealand, for the first time on 24-26 June 2014.
Lisa Cork of Fresh Produce Marketing scooped last year’s Marketer of the Year Award for her work on the Delta Produce ‘Love Kumara’ rebranding project, a campaign to reinvent the kumara, or sweet potato, category in New Zealand.
The inaugural Marketer of the Year Award in 2012 was won by Sarah McRae from Freshmax NZ for her marketing work on the Mahana Red apple in the domestic market.
PMA A-NZ and Produce Plus are now inviting nominations for the 2014 Marketer of the Year Award.
The award is open to any person (individually or as a team member) who has shown excellence in the marketing of fresh fruit, vegetables or flowers in Australia or New Zealand in the past year.
Nominees can be from any part of the value chain, such as a seed producer marketing their products to growers, a service provider marketing their services to customers, or a retailer marketing its products to consumers – any stakeholder from seed to shelf is eligible.
'This is a fantastic opportunity for industry members to gain industry-wide recognition, not only for their businesses, but for their personal efforts,' said Michael Worthington, CEO of PMA Australia-New Zealand.
Self-nominations and nominations by third parties are welcome, and must be received by close of business on 11 April 2014.
Entries can be made online at www.marketeroftheyearaward.wordpress.com
Comments from the previous winners of the PMA-Produce Plus Marketer of the Year Award:
Lisa Cork, Fresh Produce Marketing
“Winning the PMA-Produce Plus Marketer of the Year Award 2013 was not only a career highlight, it was a career boost too. Not only does the award have huge credibility and visibility in Australia/New Zealand, but it is also globally-recognised for representing marketing excellence. When used as part of my marketing materials, there is no doubt it opened new doors and created new opportunities for my global consulting business. There is also something satisfying about being able to say, ‘I was the winner’, because the field of competition for this award is tough. It truly does showcase the best of the best.”
Sarah McRae, Freshmax NZ
“I was humbled to receive the 2012 PMA-Produce Plus Marketer of the Year Award as recognition of the work I have done for Freshmax in adding value to produce through marketing. The key benefits were increased brand awareness for Mahana Red and Freshmax, the positive PR opportunities, the backing we received from much of the New Zealand industry, as well as the credibility it added to our marketing department. Without a doubt, the Marketer of the Year Award has motivated all marketers throughout Australasia to deliver some creative marketing campaigns, which deliver sales results. Following the annual award ceremony, I’m certain the marketing teams go home fired up to deliver a compelling campaign to strategically enter the following February.”
