EAGLE, ID-The Idaho Potato Commission's popular comic book themed Retail advertising campaign was the recipient of Produce Business' 23rd Annual Marketing Excellence Award for the fourth consecutive year.
This action-packed campaign, delivered both as ads and a stand-alone comic book, transforms the IPC's four Retail Promotion Directors, Bill Savilonis, Ken Tubman, Larry Whiteside and Kent Beesley into a team of superheroes-the Fearless Field Force. These extraordinary men each possess special skills that help produce managers overcome any merchandising problem. From offering up-to-the-minute market data, sales-driven marketing tools and expert category analysis, the Fearless Field Force can enhance profitability for potato category managers everywhere.
"We are fortunate to have four experienced produce veterans on our team whose sole purpose is to work with retailers to increase their overall potato profitability," said Seth Pemsler, Vice President, Retail/International, IPC. "And, since their experience has made it possible for them to be so effective throughout the years, it was easy for us to bring their superhero personas to life."
In addition to the print ads that ran in nine different trade publications, a variety of campaign-themed merchandise was created to add excitement and humor to the program. For example, each IPC retail director had a bobblehead created in their image, and data that was provided at each customer visit was delivered on a campaign themed USB drive. In addition, a special-edition comic book was created to serve as a daily reminder of the power of Idaho potatoes.