Situation: As Kentucky actively sought to diversify away from tobacco, the promotion of alternative crops became more vital than ever. That is why the Kentucky Department of Agriculture turned to Group CJ to launch a unified marketing and advertising campaign for Kentucky’s unbranded farm products on a limited budget of $300,000.
Hot Idea: A survey of 8,000 Kentucky consumers, showed “freshness” to be the number one motivation in food-buying decisions. Based on this research, the CJ team developed a communication strategy based on the idea of “Kentucky Fresh”. The campaign slogan: “Taste Kentucky Fresh. Nothing Else is Close.” reinforced the message that buying local means buying fresh.
Kentucky Fresh ads brought the taste of Kentucky produce to the forefront with the sound of freshness. The echo of an actual bite into locally grown corn on the cob, the slurp of a fresh Kentucky peach and the snap of a bean. We produced lively and attention-getting television commercials that spoke to the consumer.
Cool Results: Kentucky Fresh/Kentucky Proud was embraced by the farmer and consumer largely due to the efforts of Group CJ. Our grass roots strategy paid off as increasing consumer demand for “local Kentucky” produce prompted retailers to actively seek local suppliers to fulfill this demand.
Partly in response to consumer demand, Kentucky Fresh/Kentucky Proud branded products made their debut in Wal-Mart stores in Central Kentucky. And today, you’ll see Kentucky Fresh/Kentucky Proud at almost every outdoor market, in many restaurants and grocery stores.
A combination of hard work and our excellent media relationships enabled us to ultimately report a 65% increase in the total budget through documented value-added exposure! That truly is what we are known for - maximizing every penny.