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MIX IT UP WITH MUSHROOMS FROM EUROPE An application for more EU co-funded mushroom promotion in the UK, Ireland and (for the first time), Germany was made on June 3. The €3.18 million “Mix it up with Mushrooms from Europe” campaign, will start in 2021 and last for three years. The spend split is approximately 80% in the UK and 10% each in Ireland and Germany. The three-year programme aims to broaden the role of mushrooms in the UK, Irish and German diets by reinforcing health benefits and increasing understanding of their versatility and quality credentials. Consumers in the UK, Germany and Ireland are all trying to eat more healthily and the interest is highest in younger consumers, so it makes sense to lead with a health message. Mushrooms are extremely versatile and can accompany a broad spectrum of meals, ranging from favourite dishes in the UK, Ireland and Germany, to exotic recipes from around the world. A cornerstone of the new campaign will be promoting the concept of blending mushrooms and meat to make meals healthier, tastier and less expensive. ✽
#BLOOMATHOME In response to the cancellation of Bord Bia Bloom 2020, Bord Bia launched an alternative, virtual celebration #BloomAtHome. We encouraged the public to join us for a series of online events, including gardening panels and cookery demonstrations and also to share images and videos of their own gardens at home. Since the announcement on May 12, our website, BordBiaBloom.com, gained 70,000 page views. Over 70 food and drink companies who normally participate at Bloom ran offers or competitions, or took part in our Virtual Food Village online in the lead into and over the Bloom weekend. RTE’s Countrywide special featured Gary Graham and Aine Lawlor, as well as some food producers who have traditionally taken part in the Food Village at the festival. The culmination of the #BloomAtHome activities proved a great success. It received over 2 million impressions across our social channels over the June bank holiday weekend and the following two weeks. There were over 6,000 uses of the hashtag as exhibitors and visitors alike joined the campaign. #BloomAtHome was featured in the media over 60
times and the public’s gardening efforts were celebrated online through our competition with RTE, which gained over 5,000 entries. Check out BordBiaBloom.com to view all of the broadcasts of the campaign. Bord Bia/ Healthy Ireland Show Garden Bloom 2020 would have marked the second year Bord Bia partnered with Healthy Ireland on a show garden. While it wasn’t to be this year, we wanted to keep the conversation alive and get their message out there. The theme of this year’s show garden was never more fitting for the times we live in now – how being out in nature, spending time outdoors especially in green spaces and being physically active (gardening) can help your mental health and wellbeing. So to keep the spirit of Bloom and our conversation alive, we worked with Jack Caffrey from The Pimlico Project to produce a wonderful piece featuring our show garden designer, James Purdy, which captured our message in a beautifully creative way. The video formed part of the Government’s ‘In This Together’ campaign and was aired as part of our Bloom Day event on Sunday, May 31. Follow this link to view the video: https://vimeo.com/423955136/a203237521. ✽ JAMES PURDY
CELEBRATE STRAWBERRY SEASON ‘Celebrate Strawberry Season’ launched w/c May 18, and will run right through to September 2020. A revised COVID-19 response means that this year the campaign features enhanced digital activity including fun visual elements, stop-motion videos and new content targeting children at home with parents. Other activities targeting millennials and main household shoppers will include influencer activity, recipe collaborations and an online cookery competitions, print advertorials and grower profile activity, with continuous social media supporting each element of the campaign. ✽
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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Summer 2020
