Pink Ribbon Produce Marks 10th Year

Roseville, Calif. — October marked the 10th year for Pink Ribbon Produce, an in-store cause marketing campaign managed by AugustineIdeas that helps fight breast cancer. The program raises awareness through education as well as funds for research, and encourages active lifestyles and the eating of healthy fruits and vegetables to lower cancer risk in women.The initiative gives participating retailers and suppliers the opportunity to collectively participate in a fully integrated shopper program they couldn’t otherwise afford on their own. Harris Teeter, Meijer and Price Chopper and their produce vendors are longstanding participants in the campaign.Participating produce suppliers contribute a flat dollar amount, and Pink Ribbon Produce collects online donations during the promotion dates. All donations support the National Breast Cancer Foundation at the local level.Over its decade of existence, the program has continued to adapt its consumer messaging to reflect current trends. According to Debbie Augustine, CEO and executive creative director of AugustineIdeas, the previous two years focused on messaging related to the “Fresh Plate Challenge,” which encourages consumers to fill half their plate with fruits and vegetables. “This year, it still went off of the plate, but it’s more about what’s on your plate,” Augustine says. “It’s not only the sense of what is literally on your plate, but also women’s lifestyles and the things they juggle and the stress levels that they deal with.”The program’s digital elements included a website, PinkRibbonProduce.org, where consumers could download “What’s on Your Plate?” brochures containing healthy-eating tips and recipes. In recent years, Pink Ribbon Produce has placed a growing focus on social media outreach via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, an approach that has enabled the initiative to stretch its limited budget to reach a larger audience of women. “We were so limited before that it was mostly in-store where we would make our impression,” Augustine says. “This has really allowed us to expand the message to influence many, many more.”For the 10th anniversary, a blogger campaign was added to the effort, with “Back to Her Roots,” “Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef,” “The Lemon Bowl” and “The Picky Eater” partnering with various grocer partners to offer recipes incorporating ingredients from participating produce suppliers.In-store elements included a wobbler placed near each produce partner’s participating product along with a stanchion sign offering shoppers brochures that contained information on healthy living and early breast cancer detection. Each brochure also contained a section with retailer-specific information that included the grocer’s logo and details on why they participate in the program.The Pink Ribbon Produce logo could also be seen on-pack for participating products. The participating produce suppliers and products varied across the Meijer, Harris Teeter and Price Chopper chains. “We’re certainly happy to be part of the program,” says Jamie Postell, senior buyer of produce for Meijer. “We think it’s a great cause and that any cause that promotes the consumption of fresh produce is a great cause. It’s certainly the right thing for our customers, and we’re willing to support any program that does that.”The program’s success is measured by sales of participating products, social media reach throughout the month of October, and funds raised toward breast cancer research and prevention. In the program’s first nine years, participants collectively raised more than $553,000 for this effort. The program expects to build on this success for many years to come. “It definitely hasn’t run its course because it’s been 10 years and we do keep it relevant,” Augustine says. “It’s been great that the retailers and produce partners have wanted to participate again and again.”Additional merchandising partners included TNG, Smyrna, Georgia, and The InStore Group, Pineville, North Carolina.

Pink Ribbon Produce Marks 10th Year

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