Passionate about Potatoes? Join Potato Council's Team of Ambassadors!

Two years on from launching the search for its first ever team of Potato Ambassadors, Potato Council is looking to recruit new growers to get involved in marketing activity and help spread the word that potatoes are healthy, tasty, versatile, easy-to-prepare and great value for money.

Corporate affairs manager for Potato Council, Maria Ball, said: “The current Ambassadors signed up to get involved in Potato Council marketing activity following an appeal at BP2009. Of the many who applied, ten were chosen to represent England, Scotland and Wales. Since their appointment, all have worked hard to reinforce the positive messages about potatoes and to build a closer affinity between the industry and consumers.”

“The Potato Ambassadors have helped with making TV programmes about food, such as Channel 4’s ‘Food: What Goes in your Basket?’ and, ‘The Great British Food Revival’ that is currently being repeated on BBC2. Our Ambassadors have also spoken with their local press and radio stations to help the industry communicate positive messages about potatoes, as well as attending regional road shows as part of our Many Faces of Potatoes campaign and the nutrition events for mums this autumn. The Ambassadors have been exposed to an audience of over 19 million consumers, across press, consumer magazines, radio, internet, road shows and TV, showing the public the dedication and passion that goes into producing potatoes.”
  Maria added: “It is imperative that we continue to engage with consumers, particularly the younger generation, to demonstrate that potatoes can be versatile, nutritious and an easy weekday meal option. That is why we are offering others the opportunity to sign up and join the team now.

“We know that growers and packers are busy people, but the role of a Potato Ambassador shouldn’t take up more than a few days in total over the course of a year. As an Ambassador, we would like to be able to call on you from time to time to attend regional and national events or speak to your local newspaper or radio station. You could be asked to visit a local school to talk to children participating in our Grow Your Own Potatoes project. Of course if you have your own ideas about how to appeal to consumers, then so much the better!”

The Potato Ambassadors initiative has delivered £1.2m of PR coverage in consumer press and broadcast media, with around 19m opportunities to see positive messages about potatoes. £64,000 worth of coverage was generated in the trade press. Robin Cropper, the current Potato Ambassador for the North-West region of England, said: “It’s been fantastic to be part of the team, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. It is really important that we all take responsibility for the future and work together to ensure that potatoes continue to enjoy sustained demand. Simple health messages and recipe ideas are easy to pass on and if they make more people think differently about potatoes then it is certainly worthwhile.

Robin added: “It is not until I became an Ambassador that I realised how much work goes on behind the scenes at Potato Council. The work to sustain demand is a key focus and generates a great return for our levy investment”.

Maria said: “Once again, we are looking to recruit 10 Ambassadors. Our current group will carry on until the end of May 2012, but are welcome to apply for this second recruitment phase. All new Ambassadors will be media trained so that they are comfortable talking to the press.

“The process to find the new team will begin in the New Year. For now, we welcome any expressions of interest and if anyone wants to talk through what the role involves they are welcome to contact me. If required I can also put them in touch with one of the current Ambassadors. It really is a fantastic opportunity to raise your profile and that of your business, so please do get in touch to find out more.

“It’s also worth remembering that you don’t have to be an Ambassador to get involved in Potato Council’s promotional work. We want to call on as many people as possible to make a pledge to support Potato Week 2012, so please get in touch if you’d like to find out more.”