NMB

The National Mango Board (NMB) will broaden its marketing and research programme in the US from the fourth quarter of 2012.

The move follows the increase in assessment funding from US$0.50 to US$0.75 per pound of whole fresh mangoes sold in the US as of 1 September.

Consumer, retail and foodservice promotions, as well as nutrition, health and food safety research initiatives are set to benefit from the new arrangement, according to a news statement from NMB.

During the fourth quarter, consumer PR and marketing activities will focus on holiday entertaining as well as highlighting the year-round availability and versatility of mangoes in recipes.

In addition to an expanded Facebook outreach, the NMB will create a new video tutorial illustrating how to cut a mango, which will feature NMB marketing director, Megan McKenna, to highlight the organisation as a resource for all things concerning mangoes.

With the increased assessments, the NMB’s retail promotions and marketing programme is also ramping up in the fourth quarter.

Additional retail promotions will take place, including sales contests, demonstration events and other promotional efforts.

“This increase in promotion funding is a great way for the NMB to show an immediate return to industry members,” says Ronnie Cohen, NMB chairperson.

Additionally, the NMB will produce new point-of-sale materials as well as invest in expanded category development research.

The NMB’s foodservice PR and marketing activities will also expand in the fourth quarter with additional event sponsorships as will the group’s trade PR and advertising programme.

On the research front, new studies will be conducted during the fourth quarter in an effort to gain more insight into the health benefits of fresh mangoes; as well as generate new findings and technology to maximise food safety through the mango supply chain.

“Executing these programs and additional research studies will provide more information to share with consumers on mango’s nutritional benefits and the mango industry’s high safety standards,” explained NMB executive director William Watson.

Mango availability per capita in the US has increased by 35 per cent since 2005 to an estimated 2.53 pounds per year in 2011, according to NMB.

In 2011, the US market imported some 810m lbs of mangoes from all sources.

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