One promotional effort is the public-private Superfoods from Peru program, launched during a visit by the Peruvian president to the United States in September 2016. The campaign revolves around a number of commodities including avocados, blueberries, and quinoa, and features point-of-sale materials, radio advertising, retail demos, recipes, and social media exposure. A cookbook will be released this summer.
Equihua says the initiative was designed to “separate us from the other fruit and vegetable exporting countries,” especially with Gen Xers and millennials, who he says are “the ones really driving the superfood trend.”
An Explosion of Superfoods
The number of products that have been identified as ‘superfoods’ by the media, marketers, or the medical community continues to grow. The following list provides a snapshot of this vast, crowded, and confusing landscape. All have been defined as superfoods at one time or another.açai / apples | arugula | avocados | black beans
black raspberries | blueberries | broccoli | Brussels sprouts
carrots | cauliflower | cherry juice | cilantro
coconut oil | cucumber | dragon fruit | fermented foods
figs | garlic ginger | goji berries | grapefruit
guava | kakadu plum | kale | kimchi
kiwi | lentils | lychee | mango
moringa | mulberries | mushrooms | noni fruit
onions | oranges | papaya | parsley
pea protein | pineapple | pomegranates | quinoa
rambutan | red algae | spinach | strawberries
sweet potatoes | tomatoes | turmeric | walnuts
Regardless of the type of marketing, the better news is the abundance of superfoods waiting for their time in the spotlight. “That’s an opportunity for retailers and the trade,” notes Lucido. Other than kale, cauliflower, and berries, other fruits and vegetables—like beets—are on the cusp of full superfood positioning.
Creative Marketing
Marketing Plus worked on a berry superfoods campaign by offering recipe and display cards, and posters. Lucido says there’s plenty of room for creativity—all “to build the register ring at retail.” The initiative also included cross-promotional partnerships with other foods—super or otherwise—in and out of the produce aisle. Lucido notes that a tray of fresh salmon, widely considered a superfood, could include a recipe for berry mango salsa, driving consumers to the produce department. Bringing diverse products together into a meal kit or one-pot meal can also encourage sampling a range of unfamiliar commodities.
