Volume 2 | Issue 4 | October 2007 |
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The weather outside may be cooling, but our mango marketing efforts are hot, hot, hot! As we near the end of our second year working on behalf of the mango industry, the National Mango Board is evaluating our results so far and laying the groundwork for successful 2008 programs focused on marketing, research and industry relations. Click on any underlined text to get more information about that item.
On October 18, 2007 the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) acting Secretary Chuck Conner announced 6 appointments to the National Mango Board. The appointees and their positions are:
More than 30 professionals, including mango producers from several production areas, mango importers, NMB staff and faculty members from the University of Florida, University of California and other universities and research centers from mango producing areas met in Orlando, FL from October 17 - 19. The group came together to discuss a collaborative project designed to evaluate mango production and distribution practices from the grove to the consumer, identify mango quality problems, and determine where in the supply chain these problems are being introduced. The research team, coordinated by the University of Florida faculty will make recommendations for improved mango growing/handling practices and identify areas where additional research is needed. Ultimately, this project will benefit the entire mango industry by helping us focus our quality-improvement efforts and improve consumers' mango experience.
Don't forget to check out the Mango Crop Forecast, which is updated whenever we receive new information from any of the top 6 producing countries for U.S. mango imports. Brazil and Ecuador are currently providing forecast data and information from Peru is expected in the coming weeks.
As of mid-October, the NMB has been responsible for U.S. consumers seeing mango messages 215 million times since the beginning of 2007! This exposure has an ad equivalency of over $2.7 million, which would be the cost if we were to purchase this same space as advertising. Check out the updated results tracker for our consumer communications activities on mango.org. On October 28th, the NMB team sponsored the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., where we introduced our new character, Jango Mango, and provided hungry runners and their friends with yummy mango samples. Anyone who stopped by our booth at the finish line festival was able to have their photo taken with Jango Mango and download their photo from our web site. Check out some of these fun photos and get your first glimpse of Jango Mango. You'll be seeing more of him at future events. This fall and winter, your NMB marketing team is spreading the word about great ways to use mangos in traditional cool-weather recipes. Check out the fall baking full-color feature page, which was a co-operative effort with the National Peanut Board. And, this mat release featuring our Mango and Almond Yams recipe is sure to be a crowd-pleaser this holiday season. As you review these releases, it's important to understand that great recipes are the best way to get coverage for mangos. This exposure translates into more awareness of mangos as a delicious treat all on its own or as an ingredient in a fabulous recipe. That's the beauty of the versatile, luscious mango!
The NMB team of regional merchandising representatives is working hard to set up November and December promotions and to get early commitments for January and February 2008 retail activities. One of the tools they are using to promote mangos during the holiday season is a series of mango recipes that are perfect for colder weather and holiday entertaining. Retailers can use these recipes on their web site and in their weekly ads, and we are making header cards and tear pads available. Here's the flyer we're using to promote these holiday recipes.
During October, the NMB conducted industry outreach meetings in Brazil and Ecuador. On the domestic front, the NMB hosted a Mango Industry Meeting & Reception in conjunction with the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition. The meeting was a great success with approximately 120 mango industry members from around the world in attendance to learn about the NMB's activities, the future of marketing mango nutrition and the results of our recent consumer research project. Coming up on November 14th is a meeting in Mexico in conjunction with an EMEX conference. During each meeting William presents a brief history of the NMB and reviews our programs and results. We encourage you to attend these meetings to learn more about the NMB. After all, this is YOUR National Mango Board. For dates and more information about upcoming events, please visit the Calendar page in the Industry section of mango.org.
Each committee of the NMB, including the Research Committee, Marketing Committee, Industry Relations Committee and Administrative Committee came together during a week of meetings in Dallas, TX in late September. Each committee is responsible for working with the NMB staff to develop the projects and budgets for their program area for 2008. This meeting structure allowed board members to get involved at an early stage in the development and evaluation of each proposed initiative. The work of each committee will be combined and presented to the full board during the group's annual meeting in November, where the final programs and budgets will be discussed and approved.
The NMB's next board meeting will take place on November 28th, 29th and 30th, 2007 in Nogales, Arizona. |
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