Features Fruit Production
Wild Blueberry Association of North America launches branding campaign for harvest 09

July 31, 2009 – The Wild Blueberry Association of North America has recently
unveiled a new premium positioned brand identity as part of the launch
of a new global marketing campaign.

July 31, 2009 – The Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) has recently unveiled a new premium positioned brand identity as part of the launch of a new global marketing campaign.  Introduced in June at the Institute of Food Technologist’s (IFT) Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, the campaign is being rolled out across Canada timed to coincide with the fruit harvest commencing in August, deemed Wild Blueberry Month.  The new campaign includes an updated logo utilizing the copy, Antioxidant Rich Wild Blueberries: Premium by Nature. 

Other campaign elements include trade advertising, international trade show promotion, sponsorship as well as website marketing (www.wildblueberries.com).  Public relations activities include national media relations, product placement, sampling at high profile consumer and trade events, recipe development, media co-promotions, special events, sponsorship, special interest group outreach, media familiarization trips and a partnership chefs initiative.
 
“Wild Blueberries are truly a premium fruit, delivering attributes and benefits afforded by nature to customers looking to offer superior and highly appealing fruit-based products,” said Neri Vautour, executive director, WBANA Canada.  “Our efforts will be focused on more aggressively communicating the natural premium characteristics and differentiating marketing elements of our special little wild blue fruit,” he added.
 
The global campaign was created by Swardlick Marketing Group of Portland, Maine.  Marketing activity and public relations in Canada are handled by The Siren Group Inc. of Toronto, and public relations in Quebec by Massy-Forget of Montreal.
 
The wild advantages:  not just blue
All blueberries are not alike – wild blueberries have distinct advantages for both consumer and trade ingredient users.  These include the “wild” mystique, special size, extraordinary taste, superior performance, and antioxidant power.  “Wild” mystique refers to the unique geographic origin and natural growing conditions where wild blueberries prosper — only in the fields and barrens of Quebec, Atlantic Canada and Maine.  Wild blueberries also have the advantage of being smaller than cultivated blueberries, delivering more berries per pound for better looking, better tasting products.  The fruit’s taste is unique, with a naturally delicious sweet tang providing a true burst of flavour. 

Wild blueberries provide the advantage of superior performance by maintaining their taste, texture, shape and deep blue colour through processing, baking and food preparation.  They also freeze perfectly with quality and nutritional value intact for the frozen fruit retail sector in supermarkets nationally.  Known worldwide as a health icon, nature endowed wild blueberries with more antioxidant capacity per serving than most other fruit ingredients — including the cultivated blueberry — making them a powerfully appealing anti-aging superfruit.