Dierbergs, Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods, Weis Join Brand Initiative

The new Fruits & Veggies—More Matters™ brand continues to gain enthusiastic support from the retail community. More retailers have become licensed to use the brand’s positive call to action in the past two weeks. New retail licensees include Dierbergs Markets, Harris Teeter, Inc., Lowes Foods, Inc., and Weis Markets, Inc. To date, 16 well-respected companies representing a variety of formats and nearly 10,000 stores nationwide have become licensed, including: Felpausch Food Centers; Hy-Vee, Inc.; Key Food Stores Cooperative, Inc.; Meijer, Inc.; Price Chopper Supermarkets; Publix Super Markets, Inc.; Schnuck Markets, Inc.; Times Super Markets; Wild Oats Markets, Inc.; and the retail banners operated by Ahold USA, The Kroger Company and SUPERVALU.

PBH’s retail marketing staff has been busy introducing the new brand to retailers, and alerting them about PBH’s public relations and marketing plans for launch of the new brand to consumers on March 19, 2007. To help retailers with their launches, PBH will provide a new brand retail advertising toolkit later this fall, chock full of Fruits & Veggies—More Matters tools. The new brand is replacing 5 A Day The Color Way and all other 5 A Day program logos and messaging, which must be phased out by Jan. 1, 2009. The foundation is already focusing its nationwide public relations and marketing efforts on creating awareness of the new Mom-focused brand; planned activities include extensive media outreach (see related story), partnerships with national parenting magazines and a new consumer Web site. To learn more about retail licensing opportunities, contact PBH Senior Executive of Retail Marketing Bryant Wynes.

PBH Introduces TASTE-y New Brand to New York Media

PBH and lead government partner Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traveled to New York City’s trendy Soho area last week to introduce the new Fruits & Veggies—More Matters brand to influential national long-lead magazine contacts. PBH and CDC staff met with representatives of parenting, women’s, food and other magazine formats to encourage them to feature the new brand in their editorial coverage beginning with the brand’s official launch by PBH in spring 2007. The meetings were timed to coincide with these publications’ editorial calendars; magazines typically develop editorial content four to six months before the actual issue date. PBH public relations staff invited editors to the Culinary Loft, a showcase venue that features a gourmet kitchen, to introduce them to the new call to action, and to new PBH consumer research about how to close the gap between actual and recommended consumption (see related story). Staff then introduced TASTE tips, five easy-to-remember guidelines to help families work together to eat healthier. To demonstrate how easy it is to eat more of these healthy foods, a chef from PBH partner Culinary Institute of America provided recipes featuring a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as cooking and preparation tips. This was one of the first media outreach activities to create media coverage about the new brand; other activities are planned between now and PBH’s official launch to consumers next March.

Moms across the country issued a cry for help to PBH last month to help their families eat more healthfully. PBH surveyed 550 moms online, and found out that she’s hungry for advice on how to help her family eat better. While an overwhelming majority (88 percent) agreed that just knowing that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can promote their families’ overall health and may prevent disease encourages them to serve more fruits and veggies, moms also emphasized they need help to do so. In particular, moms called for: access to fast, simple recipes and serving suggestions; tips on how to fit different forms of fruits and vegetables into family mealtimes; and ideas on how to include more of these foods when shopping on a budget. Moms also shared tips on how they get their families to eat more fruits and vegetables. PBH commissioned the survey to help fine-tune messages and activities for the launch to consumers of the new Fruits & Veggies—More Matters brand early next year. For more information about PBH’s latest consumer research, contact PBH Research Manager Kathy Hoy, Ed. D., R.D.

What does it take to develop a new social marketing initiative such as the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters brand? How do you determine what brand rallying cries will emotionally connect with consumers of all income levels and ethnicities, to help overcome their natural resistance to behavior change? How can research support the brand development process? Drawing from PBH’s experience with the branding agency Sterling Brands to pioneer the new brand that will replace 5 A Day, the foundation has assembled educational tools that are part documentary, part brand development toolkit. Two resources are available: a summary CD provides an overview of the process Sterling Brands and PBH used to develop the new brand, while a more comprehensive CD also includes details on each phase of the project and the research tools used to gather input from consumer and industry sources along the way. These tools are a great resource to any organization that wants to invest in its current or future brands. To order either CD or for more information, call PBH catalog customer service at (888) 391-2100. To find out how you can help support the launch of our new brand next year, contact PBH.

The world’s most powerful mouse is making a commitment to healthier foods. The Walt Disney Co. announced recently that it will begin serving more nutritionally balanced meals at its theme parks in the United States, and will sign food, entertainment and other licensing and endorsement deals only for foods that meet the company’s nutritional guidelines. This summer, the company announced plans to market healthy foods branded with Disney-Pixar characters at Kroger Co., the largest American grocery chain. That deal ended Disney’s exclusive relationship with McDonald’s. For more information, view Associated Press coverage.

PBH is pleased to recognize the following companies who joined or renewed their memberships in support of the foundation Oct. 28-Nov. 12. Your generous contributions help support PBH’s many activities to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. To find out how you can support PBH, and grow your business in the process, contact PBH Vice President of Development Claudia Wenzing.

Syngenta is committed to feeding the world through innovative new solutions for nutritious, affordable fruits and vegetables. Growers in the fruit and vegetable industries also know the company as Syngenta Seeds and ROGERS® brand seed products.

A healthy diet starts with high quality fruits and vegetables. And these begin with outstanding seed genetics; products to protect growing crops from weeds, insects and diseases; and technologies to guard produce from disease during processing and distribution. As a world leader in agribusiness, ranking first in crop protection products and third in high-value commercial seeds, Syngenta supports growers in all segments of the industry. The company’s leadership comes from more than 20,000 employees in 50 countries. From its fields and facilities, seed processing plants and state-of-the-art research labs, Syngenta is an agricultural enterprise committed to improving every link in the food chain.

Visit Syngenta's Web site for more information.