A new Spanish TV campaign coordinated by international marketing agency agr! agro hit the screens earlier in the year to promote the consumption of persimmons grown under the Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) certificate in Valencia’s Ribera del Xúquer Valley. Focusing on non-conventional formats, the campaign marked a radical shift in the agr! agro’s message for PDO Spanish persimmons (known locally as kakis).
“The Persimon brand for PDO Ribera del Xúquer kakis was legally registered in Spain this year, marking a crucial moment for the campaign and a determined shift in our marketing strategy,” agr! agro president Mateo Blay explained.
“No other group is now permitted to sell hard kakis under the Persimon label, meaning the fruit has achieved what most PDO products struggle or even fail to obtain – ownership of the category.”
With Persimon now a generic label for the kaki category in Spain, agr! agro plans to strengthen sales by differentiating the fruit from its competitors. “There is only one Persimon, and that’s the PDO Ribera del Xúquer,” Mr Blay said. “It’s authentic. It’s unique. It’s original.'
As part of the campaign, agr! agro has marketed kakis as a healthy but sweet-tasting fruit, which can be eaten in various ways – either fresh or as an ingredient in cooked recipes.
“Following the contradictions of the 1990s, when the consumption of fresh fruit plummeted a staggering 24 per cent while consumers moved towards healthier lifestyles, agr! agro decided to take a step forward to position kakis as a healthy and natural fruit, which also has a delicious sweet taste,” Mr Blay explained.
“Previously, the sweet taste of kakis had often been perceived as a weakness since it highlighted the fact that being high in sugars, kakis are not the lightest of fruits. But by communicating the sweet taste as a natural feature, agr! agro has turned a product weakness into a main strength.”
Across in Germany, the new season PDO kaki campaign kicked off with point-of-sale activities taking place at major retailers, as well as tasting opportunities at the eat’n STYLE fair in Cologne which took place on 14-16 November.
Coordinated by marketing agency Böhr & Roos, in conjunction with ICEX (the Spanish foreign promotion and tourism agency), the promotional drive formed part of the umbrella VIVA campaign for Spanish fresh fruits and vegetables with a certification of origin.
“The VIVA campaign is one of the very few brand-orientated and professionally operated fresh produce campaigns in Germany,” explained Michael Roos of Böhr & Roos. “The initiative has generated a significant presence in Germany and was awarded a marketing prize for the best fresh produce point-of-sale drives in 2005.”
Some 500 sampling days took place at Edeka, Metro, Real, Globus, Migros, Kaufland and Dohle. On the PR front, consumers learned more about kakis via advertisements in food magazines, such as Lecker, as well as in special interest publications and retailers’ in-store magazines.
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