The first year of the Dutch 'A handful of summer' promotion campaign is over. This sector-wide marketing campaign aimed at boosting soft fruit consumption yielded impressive results. It specifically targets young adults aged 18 to 35, a group that demonstrably eats less soft fruit than older people. Wilco van den Berg (GroentenFruit Huis), co-sponsor and spokesperson for the project, shared that during a presentation.
© GroentenFruit Huis
The initiative is a joint effort by a broad coalition of growers, trading companies, and sector organizations in the Netherlands. Those include ZLTO, Glastuinbouw Nederland, NFO, Berry Briljant, Simply The Bes, and GroentenFruit Huis. "It's a truly unique fresh produce sector partnership," says Wilco. "It's been a long time since there was a collective promotional campaign for fruit and vegetables."
Getting things moving again
What inspired this campaign? The stagnation in soft fruit consumption. After years of growth, Dutch consumption of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and other berries plateaued for four to five years. There is particular potential among young people: they eat about 25% fewer strawberries than people over 65, and the percentage of buyers is also lower. "We can genuinely gain plenty of ground there," Wilco explains.
The initiative, with a budget of €1.2 million - 70% of which the EU subsidizes - ends in 2027. Companies that jointly represent more than 80% of Dutch soft fruit production are fitting the remaining 30% of the bill. The focus is on the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Convenience, health, and enjoyment
Advertising agency, Food Cabinet, developed the campaign around three pillars: convenience, health, and enjoyment. Soft fruit is positioned as an easy, healthy, enjoyable snack that suits an active lifestyle. The initiative uses social media, a multilingual website, recipes, and collaborations with content creators.
© GroentenFruit Huis
"They know how to translate our message authentically, without it feeling like advertising." At the store level, retailers such as SPAR and Jumbo are involved. A practical trial with floor stickers at SPAR led to a 120% increase in sales during the campaign period.
The reach exceeded all expectations: Instagram and TikTok posts had almost 31 million views, more than 1000% above target. In the Netherlands, 32% of young adults recognized the campaign, as did 49% in Belgium and 50% in Germany. Around half to two-thirds of the target group stated that the marketing encourages them to consume more soft fruit.
Sales figures look good, too. Dutch supermarkets sold 5% more of all soft fruit, with a 7% increase in strawberries. Young buyers in particular purchased more: households aged 39 or younger bought 6% more strawberries than a year earlier. "We can speak of a successful first campaign year, but we're maintaining that intensity for two more years," Wilco concludes. (ML)
For more information:
GroentenFruit Huis
Tel: +31 (0)79 368 11 00
[email protected]
www.groentenfruithuis.nl
