In the fall of 2013 I had the pleasure of meeting Heather Cox, a Boise, Idaho, resident and one of the most wellknown and respected names in college football reporting. Already a big fan and consumer of Idaho potatoes, Heather was recruited to help the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) get college football fans excited about Idaho potatoes and inspire them to look for the “Grown in Idaho” seal every time they purchase potatoes at their local grocery stores.
We are finishing up our second season of working with Heather and couldn’t be more pleased with the results:
Videos from college football games: During eight of the college football games from which Heather reported, she created 40-second videos that skillfully captured the excitement of the games and fans’ love for Idaho potatoes. From asking tailgaters what their favorite way to eat an Idaho potato is, to going behind the scenes at her favorite restaurant in Michigan to make sure they use Idaho potatoes, to finally filming a thoughtful end-of-year salute to all the college football teams, Heather was able to consistently engage fans around the country for more than four months. The videos were posted on both IPC’s Facebook and Instagram pages, and links to the videos were tweeted immediately after each game. To further showcase her love for spuds, Heather teamed up with popular food blogger Average Betty and demonstrated how to make two delicious tailgating dishes: Touchdown Dance Potato Soup and Bacon Blitz Potato Skewers. Two very entertaining and informative two-minute videos were filmed in Heather’s kitchen in Boise. With the help of Average Betty’s loyal followers, the videos went viral and continue to generate views and likes every day—more than 1.6 million people have seen the videos.
Spuddy Buddy caption contest: When Heather wasn’t filming videos for the IPC, she was taking photos of a small plush Spuddy Buddy, the IPC’s mascot, in unique settings during the games. Throughout the season, five photos were posted on Facebook, and the person who submitted the most creative caption received a cash prize. Every contest generated more interest, likes, shares and entries than the previous one. In total, the contests:
• Reached 856,512 people.
• Achieved 962,950 impressions.
• Generated 15,872 likes.
• Additionally, a feature article on
Heather and her work with the IPC will run in the March 7 issue of the Idaho Statesman. A bylined article by Heather will be released in April to more than 10,000 news outlets around the country on how, as a mom of two who works full-time, she manages to stay healthy and in great shape.
We’re vey pleased to have Heather on our IPC team and look forward to developing more exciting and engaging programs with her.