A month-long campaign hit television screens across France in January and February in order to promote the benefits of eating kiwifruit. The campaign, which is being targeted at the over-15 age group, ran from 15 January until 15 February featured 170 TV spots on popular domestic channels such as TF1 and M6.

The objective of the campaign, which was joint-financed by the European Union and Viniflhor and bears the “Fraîch’Attitude, Fraîch’Habitude” signature, was to instil in consumers’ minds the idea that kiwifruit is an ideal choice for breakfast, focusing on the fruit’s high vitamin C content. It also attempted to encourage more young people to buy the fruit.

The advertisement followed a sleepy adolescent as he made his way to the fridge early in the morning. On opening it, a kiwifruit suddenly rocketed out across the kitchen before bouncing off walls, waking the rest of the family up by rattling saucepans, turning on radios and opening blinds. Eventually, having narrowly evaded the claws of a pouncing cat, the kiwifruit landed on a young girl’s plate, where it sat motionless. “Le kiwi - quelle energie!” the voiceover at last pronounced.

The campaign also included signposts and information leaflets that were displayed and distributed in supermarket outlets across the country. The leaflets provided in-depth details about the history of the kiwifruit, from its origins in China, via its adoption by New Zealand, to the point when Europe became the number one producer and consumer of the fruit.

The leaflets also offered information about the health properties of kiwifruit, with a particular focus paid to the fruit’s high vitamin C content. In addition, they provided tips on where to store the fruit for optimum ripeness and recommended a number of recipes that consumers can readily recreate in their own homes, such as desserts and smoothies.

The new marketing drive formed part of the Fraîch’attitude campaign, which was backed by its own television adverts last year. Between August and September 2008, a promotional film appeared on a host of French TV channels. The awareness-raising campaign, organised by French interprofessional organisation Interfel, promoted the idea that half one’s plate should consist of fresh produce.

According to Interfel, the advertisement had a more comical element compared with previous efforts, and focused more on the pleasurable aspect of consuming and sharing fresh produce. Such an effort appears to have been made for the latest TV campaign for kiwifruit, its lively music and fast, action-packed footage striking a stark contrast from previous campaigns that have centred more on medical advice about health than on enjoyment.

Topics