ATLANTA, GA - The industry has been building bridges this year, to create new ways to drive fresh produce consumption and elevate our industry's presence across multiple platforms. At this year's Fresh Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, PMA announced a new strategic alliance with the Entertainment Resource & Marketing Association (ERMA), which will bring together the produce industry and entertainment marketing professionals to make fresh produce center stage in television shows, movies and online entertainment. 

PMA’s President Cathy Burns tells me, “I’m very excited to add this strategic alliance to our existing efforts to use marketing—in its broadest terms—to create greater demand for fresh produce. This effort joins eat brighter!™ and FNV as new ways to put produce in front of consumers and ultimately drive fresh produce demand for our members.”

This partnership builds on the momentum started by eat brighter!™ and FNV, and is one of several ongoing demand creation efforts by PMA to increase produce consumption and combat childhood obesity. First Lady Michelle Obama even participated in a video thanking the industry for its outstanding work to promote produce and acknowledge those leaders participating in both the eat brighter!™ and FNV initiatives.

"This effort joins eat brighter!™ and FNV as new ways to put produce in front of consumers and ultimately drive fresh produce demand for our members.” - Cathy Burns

"The ERMA committee is made up of commercial product placement members from the entertainment industry whose goal it is to get produce items into multiple mediums," Mark Munger, 4Earth Farms' Vice President of Sales and Marketing, tells me as we talk about the possibilities of introducing more produce into entertainment. "Imagine a movie scene that is being filmed in a supermarket. With this alliance, we will be able to influence where in a location, scenes are filmed.  And of course, we suggest the produce department if your screenplay calls for say, your local retailer."

The alliance is working to creatively find multiple avenues to make produce relevant. Where FNV may be most relevant to teens and eat brighter!™ for the younger generation, ERMA can envelop multiple demographics.  

"Our daunting task has always been, how do we get produce onto the screen? For ERMA members, their daunting challenge is how do they find good quality, flavorful produce to bring to the set. That is here we come in," Mark adds. "It is a perfect marriage."

"Imagine a movie scene that is being filmed in a supermarket. With this alliance, we will be able to influence where in a location, scenes are filmed.  And of course, we suggest the produce department if your screenplay calls for say, your local retailer." - Mark Munger

Connecting these two dots and having the associations collaborate and drive this initiative will be a win-win for all sides.

"We want to see produce, not only in the background, but at the forefront," Mark notes. 

Jin Ju Wilder, Director of Corporate Strategy at Valley Fruit and Produce, spoke to me about the new alliance and how she was happy both as a PMA Board member and a member of the industry to help PMA solidify its relationship with ERMA.  

“This strategic alliance with ERMA is about showing produce consumption as a norm. We know that viewers absorb what their favorite characters are doing, even subliminally. When popular characters eat or choose fresh produce, even if it’s not part of the plot, they send the signal that this is the normal way people eat, the normal foods they choose. This is subtle, and it’s more like public service than it is like branded product placement. But it’s important to have these characters model this behavior,” she tells me.

PMA is taking the lead on this platform and provides a neutral meeting ground for all companies to get involved. Industry members tell me that, at its heart, it isn't about branded produce, but produce in general.  

“When popular characters eat or choose fresh produce, even if it’s not part of the plot, they send the signal that this is the normal way people eat, the normal foods they choose.” - Jin Ju Wilder

Jin Ju adds, “In any initiative undertaken by PMA, both the staff and the volunteer leaders are cognizant of the need to report back to membership on the results and the efficacy of the initiative. In this case, the alliance with ERMA is not anticipated to require significant capital investment by PMA or PMA’s members, but it is still important to be able to report back to membership on ROI. ERMA’s membership includes the studios, the placement agencies, and the brands that use product placement. ERMA members have the experience, expertise, and commitment to provide the metrics for this initiative. They will be able to track fresh produce placement in movies and TV shows and provide PMA with a formula so we can properly valuate those instances where fresh produce appears.  As in the Sesame Street ‘Eat Brighter’ campaign and our support of Team FNV, we want PMA members to know how we are using a multi-prong approach to build consumption and that they are making a difference.”

Stay tuned as we follow the progress of this incredible alliance and the growth of produce center stage.

PMA ERMA