HURRIED shoppers looking for a healthy meal will be reminded that potatoes are fast food, quick to cook, taste great, good for you and they fit into everyday meal occasions, says the British Potato Council (BPC).
To appeal to a growing number of time poor shoppers looking for a fast and healthy meal, the BPC is focusing its autumn GB potato promotions on 'Convenience', while continuing to underline the health benefits of eating potatoes. Television, regional radio, newspapers and magazines will all be used to target shoppers. Encouraged by the BPC's recent Health campaign, retailers will promote Convenience in their stores by using BPC point-of-sale material.
BPC marketing executive Kathryn Race says Convenience was chosen as a theme following comprehensive consumer research that revealed interesting lifestyle facts about today's shoppers. It showed they have more disposable income but less time to shop, households are smaller and there is a general lack of cooking skills. What's more, two-thirds of shoppers agreed with the
statement: 'all I want is potatoes that are quick and easy to cook.'
The BPC will encourage growers, suppliers and buyers to link with the theme 'Potatoes everyday, anyway' including a 'Take a potato to work' initiative. Individuals are needed to hand out lunchtime packs to commuters at train and bus stations and in city centres as part of planned PR 'stunts' nationwide.
Other themes will encourage busy, modern households to use potatoes under a 'Dinner time dilemma' theme while '7 days, 7 ways' will demonstrate that potatoes provide solutions for every meal occasion.
Mrs Race adds: "There's a significant role for industry to help make this very successful and we will assist companies wanting to adapt themes as part of their own promotional activities."
Key Convenience messages
* Fast food
* Quick to cook
* Taste great
* Good for you
* Perfect solution for any meal occasion
