What happens when a potato sells itself so well that the poor produce supervisor is left overwhelmed by his or her good fortune?
That’s the cheeky scenario behind the Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) 2014-15 “Too Successful” integrated retail trade marketing campaign, winner of the IPC’s eighth consecutive Produce Business Marketing Excellence Award. Each colorful ad depicts a produce director, category manager or vice president agonizing over the unexpected “pitfalls” of stocking incredibly popular Idaho potatoes, from stressful decisions about how to spend all that bonus money to a suddenly overcrowded trophy case.
“It’s a simple yet powerful campaign, using humor to reinforce the reputation of Idaho potatoes as the No. 1 brand of America’s favorite vegetable—and reinforcing our premium brand image,” said Seth Pemsler, vice president over retail/international at the IPC. “Our response from produce managers, senior category managers and retail advertising/marketing managers has been extremely positive. The campaign has definitely generated great buzz and helped drive Idaho potato volume throughout the country.
The “Too Successful” campaign, which ran from September 2014 to August 2015, included 10 different full-page print ads that appeared in retail trade publications such as Produce Business, plus an additional teaser ad. Online banner ads adapted from the print ads also appeared on key trade publication websites during the peak potato buying season, October 2014 to March 2015, to generate additional play for the campaign.
The IPC was among 17 companies in all segments of the industry that were honored by Produce Business in 2015 for their outstanding marketing campaigns based on creativity, originality, execution, significance and call to action.