Side Delights® has announced a virtual reality (VR) video and podcast-based program that invites consumers to "step" into the company's potato fields. Visitors to Fresh Solutions Network booth #3940 at PMA Fresh Summit in Anaheim, CA will enjoy a sneak preview of the VR videos with 3D goggles that immerse viewers in the unique and fascinating world of potato farming.
According to the company, locally grown products are a $20 billion industry, and they point to three trends in potatoes for 2019: Local, Organic, and Knowing your Farmer. For an expanding segment of consumers, the grower’s story is equally important to the product, it said. The reasoning is that as shoppers take an increasing interest in growing practices, harvests, packaging, and the role sustainability plays in the production cycle, engaging with consumers through storytelling is a powerful marketing tool.
This is the reason why Side Delights has chosen to launch the VR videos and a podcast series. The brand is sourced from farms in eight geographically diverse growing areas. “Potatoes taste best when they reflect the true sense of the soil where they are grown”, notes Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network, adding, "The concept of “Grown Where it Matters” connects the Fresh Solutions Network® (FSN) farms & farmers with their regionally relevant market, deepening the relationship that customers have with Side Delights® potatoes."
The program kicked off with PR marketing efforts including a food blogger program with blog posts generated from interviews with FSN farmers. With its launch at PMA Fresh Summit, Side Delights® said it is now supporting the “Grown Where it Matters” program with in-store POS including farm/state specific Kwik Lok tags along with potato display cards. The aim is to direct shoppers to the digital activations via a new farm specific website page www.sidedelights.com/who-we-are where they can experience the 360° virtual farm tours and hear podcast interviews where farmers share in their own voices what it’s like to farm potatoes.
“’Grown Where it Matters’ engages and immerses consumers in the farm where their potatoes are grown,” noted Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network. “The program’s digital and in-store communications are designed to educate shoppers about where their potatoes are grown, the passion that the farmers have about growing fresh, quality potatoes, and the hope that these types of farms will carry on for the next generation.”
For more information:
Kathleen Triou
Fresh Solutions Network
Ph: +1 (209) 627-6800
ktriou@freshsolutionsnet.com
www.sidedelights.com