Potato growers in Western Australia have invested heavily in a potato marketing program aimed at stopping the decline in consumption per capita of fresh potatoes. Independent research had shown that potato consumption in Western Australia had dropped from 25 kilos / capita to less than 20 kilos / capita (from 2002 – 2012).
Faced with a declining industry, the growers decided to invest in a campaign to promote fresh potatoes as great tasting, extremely versatile, convenient and packed full of vitamins and minerals. Launched in October 2013, the campaign has now been running for 18 months with clear and tangible signs of success.
Peter Evans, CEO of the Potato Marketing Corporation of Western Australia (PMC) comments ‘We have stopped the decline in consumption of fresh potatoes in Western Australia. This is a fantastic achievement given the decline we see nationally in Australia and internationally in other developed countries. We are proud of the success of the campaign, but we still have a lot of work left to do.’
Paul Graham, Marketing Manager at the PMC says ‘Our generic marketing campaign for fresh potatoes is working. Despite changed trading conditions, we are seeing more households purchase more potatoes, more often. We’ve got on the front foot and promoted the benefits of our product to WA consumers – and they have listened.’
‘We use data from independent market research agency Fresh Logic to monitor the performance of the campaign. The results of investing in your market are clear. In WA we have turned the decline around to see a 6% increase in volume sales over the past 2 years. In direct comparison, the national market has seen a 14% decline in volume sales’.
Callum McKenzie is the Managing Director of Rare, the advertising agency behind the campaign. ‘The potato industry has at last found its voice. For more than a decade the potato has been publicly attacked by low-carb campaigns and campaigns for rival food products. The more often people hear a message, the more likely that message will sink in. Now we are giving the consumer the right message to listen to, we are seeing the benefit in sales.’
Robbie Davis is CEO of Potatoes South Australia and wants industry to roll out a campaign nationally. ‘The fresh potato industry in Australia is huge – but is currently in decline. PMC has calculated the potential benefits of this campaign over the next 8 years at $1.3B (at farm gate) making this a massive win for the industry. Potatoes South Australia are in full support of establishing a national marketing campaign to put potatoes back on the plate.’
Potato Ads that ran in Western Australia
The perfect Chip
Ahhh, mashed potatoes
The secret to great roast potatoes
