As we close the Idaho Potato Commission’s 2013-14 fiscal year, I’d like to highlight just a few of our most defining and successful programs from the last 12 months:
National Television Commercial
Building on the huge success of the Great Big Idaho Potato Truck and the 2013 commercial, we created a second ad that featured our famous potato farmer still searching for his Truck. The commercial made its national debut during the Boise State’s football game against Washington over Labor Day weekend and aired regularly on national cable television programs from mid-October 2013 through January 2014.
Great Big Idaho Potato Truck
What started as a one-year celebration of the IPC’s 75th anniversary has turned into a mutli-year national phenomenon! In 2014 we updated the graphics on the Truck, expanded our nutrition messaging, and introduced a new charity beneficiary, the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign. This initiative continues to be the biggest and most successful marketing program, in terms of reach and media coverage, that the IPC has ever launched. This year the Truck will travel over 20,000 miles and visit more than half of the 50 United States.
New Year’s Eve Idaho Potato Drop
When we were approached about sponsoring Idaho’s first New Year’s Eve Potato Drop, we couldn’t resist. With more than 40,000 attendees including, Spuddy Buddy and the Great Big Idaho Potato Truck, the potato drop made international headlines, putting Boise on the map as having one of the biggest New Year’s Eve celebrations in the world.
Recipes
Recipes are the No. 1 reason folks visit our website. More than half of all visitors to www.idahopotato.com stay for an average of three minutes, 28 seconds, to 2:03 for the average website. To make their visit even more engaging, we gave our recipe database a facelift, which included:
• More photo-centric layout.
• Updated search function allowing visitors to search for recipes by preparation method and course.
• New gluten-free category.
• Ability to share recipes across popular social media platforms.
• Pop-up feature that suggests recipes viewers might like based on their search.
Social Media
Social media is integrated into every campaign we initiate. From popular postings on Facebook, to tweets about the IPC’s newest programs, to photos of delicious Idaho potato dishes on Instagram, we are interacting with consumers at every major outlet they turn to for news and information. If you’re not already, please follow us
www.idahopotato.com
Facebook.com/famousidahopotatoes
Twitter.com/idahopotato
Instagram.com/idahopotatoes
Pinterest.com/idahopotato
Healthy Living
Potatoes are natural fuel for the body, and we demonstrate this through fitness-focused sponsorships and partnerships. This year we recruited ESPN college football sideline reporter Heather Cox to report on Idaho potato news from some of the biggest college football stadiums in the country. Heather filmed eleven 45-second videos that were featured every week on the IPC’s website and social media channels. Additionally, Heather photographed Spuddy Buddy in some iconic locations, and folks who submitted the best caption for each picture won their own Spuddy Buddy. The IPC was a presenting sponsor of RODS Racing, a team of 150-plus elite triathletes who competed in over 500 races to raise money to find homes in the U.S. for international orphaned children with Down syndrome. We continued our support of Boise State and University of Idaho football programs and remain the title sponsor of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
As you can see, we’ve had an outstanding year. We appreciate everyone’s support as we continue to strengthen the Idaho potato brand in the United States and around the globe.