Ambrosia apples Oscar® gift bag promotion lights up national press coverage

An unlikely star emerged as the national media darling last week when the contents of the “Everyone Wins at the Oscars” nominee gift bags were revealed to the public. In a gift bag valued at nearly $170,000 given to this year’s non-winning Oscar® Nominees, Ambrosia apples grabbed a huge share of the media spotlight as the only fresh produce item included.

“We were stunned and delighted to see Academy Award-related press coverage focusing on our Ambrosia,” said Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing for Columbia Marketing International. “In a gift package worth many thousands of dollars, it was really gratifying to see a wonderful apple like Ambrosia recognized by the media.”

USA Today, New York Daily News, Good Morning America and CNBC were among the many outlets that featured the custom gift box of Ambrosia apples hand-delivered to the Hollywood celebrities. Seattle TV news picked up on the local Ambrosia connection, with one station highlighting three evening news anchors sampling Ambrosia while raving about its flavor and another station sending a news crew to McDougall & Son’s new 445,000 square foot Wenatchee packing facility. Early consumer reach estimates for the Ambrosia promotion indicate that more than 20 million people saw or heard about the apple gift carton for the stars.

“A big part of the success is Ambrosia is a wonderfully distinct and colorful apple that we packed in very traditional packaging,” said Lutz. “For TV, it was a can’t-miss visual. Each Ambrosia gift was delivered to the top Oscar® nominees in handmade antique apple boxes with traditional box label art reproductions."

Lutz added, “USA Today called Ambrosia a ‘simple pleasure’, so maybe that’s why the story got such a big play. We’re just delighted that stars like Bradley Cooper, Steve Carell and Reese Witherspoon can enjoy Ambrosia apples to ease the pain of missing out on Oscar® gold.”

For more information:
Steve Lutz
Columbia Marketing International
stevel@cmiapples.com