“The market is screaming out for Kanzi”

This year, the Kanzi campaign will be the same throughout Europe. It is all about the red-suited Kanzi Guy who presents the apple in a funny and slightly saucy manner. Henry Müller, manager of GKE, explains that this is a new promotional approach, and that they have had many positive responses already. “For our campaign we have one man, but for the introduction at Fruit Attraction we hired ten lookalikes who ushered in the campaign in each hall.”

As every year, Müller expects demand will surpass supply again. “The market is screaming for Kanzi, not just in Europe, but in other continents as well. That is why new plantings have already been planned again, both in Europe and in the Southern Hemisphere. This season, the Southern Hemisphere had a smaller harvest, so it was very tense to see whether we could fulfil the deliveries. After a lot of improvisation, we managed to satisfy our customers. Our buyers want Kanzi on the shelves year-round, and we are working hard to make that happen. The European season is looking well, so we have high hopes. Italy and Germany have already started, and the Netherlands and Belgium start this week. The growing circumstances were good in the various regions, so people expect good quality. We of GKE regularly perform quality checks with our partners, by the way, so that we can be certain the right Kanzi ends up with consumers.”

A great deal of thought and research went into the new campaign. “We had to go one step further in our professionalisation, so we brought in a media agency. In consultation with our various European partners we decided to do a joint campaign this time. Naturally, it can be specified per market, but the basis has to be the same: an unequivocal message. This can be seen throughout the campaign, from the videos to the packaging, it is all in one line.” During the meetings, another point was brought up, and that was that Kanzi apples have to remain the most important. “We have to show that the flavour and bite are delicious, and as many consumers as possible have to learn this. In order to do so, we mostly use digital media. The theme is still ‘Seduce Life,’ or: enjoy life. This year, we want to personalise this further, which is why we involved a man with the campaign. He will exude the ‘Seduce Life’ message, and he will also reflect this.”

The campaign consists of a censored and uncensored version with videos of the Kanzi Guy. “The most important channel is YouTube this year. We believe in the combination of online campaigns and shop floor promotions. Consumers have access to online media 24-7. With YouTube and Facebook we can get as close to the consumer as possible. Our goal is to reach 55 million or more European consumers this year.” He emphasises that this number was not just randomly made up. “Professional surveys preceded this, and we can prove we can reach this many people this season.”

Müller thinks it is fine to have competitors in the ‘club strain world.’ “Besides Kanzi, there are other strong brands that have built a name for themselves on the market. These are totally different apples with a different flavour, which makes us distinctive. It is good to have competitors, how else would we distinguish ourselves? All club strains help to increase apple consumption. And that is what it is all about, after all.”