APRIL 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Strawberry growers debate promotion strategy Advertising campaigns require more structure to be effective for on-farm sales


by PETER MITHAM ABBOTSFORD – A seismic


shift in the way consumers buy and consume BC strawberries has growers questioning how to promote sales of the heart-shaped fruit.


BC produced 2.6 million pounds of berries worth $5.6 million in 2016, one of the most lucrative if not the best- yielding harvests of the past decade. Close to 95% of the crop is sold fresh, either through retailers or direct to consumers by producers. Promoting the crop to


consumers is one of the biggest items in the annual budget of the BC Strawberry Growers Association, which represents approximately 50 producers.


Whether or not that money could be better spent was a hot topic at the association’s annual general meeting in Abbotsford on March 8. “We’re not running a


structured campaign,” said Jennifer Lavigne, who oversees domestic marketing for Driediger Farms Ltd. She urged the association to track who its advertising is reaching and how ads


Research priorities ABBOTSFORD – Marketing isn’t the only area


representing a significant outlay for the BC Strawberry Growers Association. Berry breeders Michael Dossett and Eric Gerbrandt presented their report on the results of the $45,000 allocated to research in 2016 and their plans for the 2017 season at the association’s AGM in March. Gerbrandt said fumigation in advance of planting to fight nematodes is a key area of interest this year. He is keen to evaluate the nematicides Velum Prime and Nimitz, which are not registered as soil fumigants for use in strawberries. Work also continues on identifying new varieties to


diversify and augment those currently planted in BC, where Albion continues to represent 40% of plantings. Dossett spends about 10% of his time working with


strawberries and manages to make 10 to 16 crosses a year. His efforts focus on adding better virus and disease tolerance to the genetics of day-neutral varieties to reduce dependence on Albion. The breeding program achieved 3,000 seedlings in 2016, he said, with two dozen selections – almost all of them day-neutrals – isolated for further testing in 2017. Dossett recapped his impressions on various cultivars during a visit to Quebec last season. The variety BC 10-2-1 looked good in the province


compared to Albion, yielding 490 grams per plant. This is more than in BC, where Dossett hopes additional plant material will be available for trial this spring. “It will be a little while before we have virus-free plants


and are able to share it with people,” he said. Quebec plantings of Sweet Anne yielded watery berries with soft flesh while Charlotte, another day- neutral variety, shows resistance to some viruses but isn’t otherwise attractive. Dossett and Gerbrandt both discussed the potential new selections from the UC-Davis program, but they need further investigation. Not so with Wasatch and Redstart, selections from Michigan that Gerbrandt and growers at the meeting conceded wouldn’t work in BC.


translate into visits and sales. “You don’t know


how much you’re spending [per visit]; you don’t know where it’s going.”


Promotions


The association spent approximately $58,464 on marketing and promotions in 2016, much of it in support of the association’s annual Fresh campaign. The campaign aims to let consumers know that BC strawberries are ready to enjoy rather than imported berries. It includes spots on local radio stations, print ads in Asian media and outreach on social media. Growers set the campaign’s agenda and are its primary financial backers. A total of 13 – the most ever – contributed $46,585 to the campaign in 2016. Association funds match producer’s


contributions to a maximum of $1,200 per grower. This money goes directly to buy time on local radio, with contributing growers featured in the spots. Other funds buy


newspaper ads, while the association pays for pies sent to local media and funds social media outreach on Twitter and Facebook. Darlene Tanaka, home


and association vice-president Alf Krause to suggest revamping promotions to address the importance of local sales to producers and the growing number of producers


contributing to marketing. A strategy


Source: Statistics Canada


economist for Bernardin Ltd., the well-known home canning equipment supplier, implements the marketing plan on behalf of the association. Bernardin partners with


the growers’ association to promote fruit sales, offering a home canning kit worth about $60 alongside $40 worth of fruit. (Radio stations require prizes worth a minimum of $100, Tanaka says.)


While the reach of the radio spots and print ads drew fire from Lavigne, statistics presented to the 15 growers at the annual meeting indicate that shares of the association’s Facebook page totaled more than 11,000 last year. The


association anticipates better metrics this year.


The discussion of the


campaign’s effectiveness prompted Aldergrove grower


session for the campaign followed


the annual meeting. Krause told Country Life in BC that any decisions regarding the marketing strategy won’t occur until the end of April. Without stable funding,


however, long-term planning is difficult. Grower contributions aren’t fixed, limiting development of a consistent, sustained marketing program. “You need a budget for a


campaign, and we don’t have that,” association manager Lisa Craig said. Having more funds further in advance of the season – a challenge in the past two years given the early and rapid onset of the crop – would help. Just one grower had committed to the 2017 marketing program as of March 8. “The problem is we need


growers telling us what they’re going to do,” Krause said.


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