LOCKPORT, NY - Several different strategies are afoot for Crunch Time Apple Growers. Partnerships, campaigns, and more have been set in motion, all with the goal of bringing consumers to the grocery store. I sat down with Jessica Wells, Executive Director, to hear all about it.

“First, we focused most of our influencer marketing this year on retailer promotion. We aimed to use creators to talk about SnapDragon® apples and showcase the packaging and stores where SnapDragon apples can be purchased,” Jessica began telling me.

A few examples of influencers Crunch Time worked with include:

• @blackadventuremom, who focused on SnapDragon apples as a perfect snack for families on adventures. She highlighted their availability in Sprouts Farmers Market
• @tampafoodgirl, who highlighted SnapDragon apples in Costco. She integrated the apples into a game day sandwich recipe
• @dieticiancass, who captured a grocery store visit to Aldi, purchasing SnapDragon apples and other ingredients to make apple cheesecakes

The company also recently teamed up with Yes! Apples, one of its 11 sales partners.

“We worked with the Yes! Apples team to run promotions at H-E-B stores in early March and again in early April. Yes! Apples shared content about the $1.50 off promotion on social media and used an influencer to promote it, while we promoted using social posts,” Jessica continued. “For the March promotion—featuring a coupon to buy a bag of SnapDragon apples and get a pack of H-E-B carb sense tortillas free—we partnered with Buffalo Bills long snapper Reid Ferguson. Additionally, the deal was shared in a separate Instagram post.”

The Yes! Apples online store also offers SnapDragon apples via mail order when they are in season; the company recently promoted availability using influencer @dieticiancass.

“Beyond working with influencers, we executed several strategic paid campaigns to promote SnapDragon apples’ availability in specific stores. We ran targeted commercials in key markets with callouts on availability in Publix as well as Amazon digital display ads. Our team has also been running paid social campaigns to reach consumers in metros where the apples are available,” Jessica added.

As Crunch Time looks ahead to next season, you can be sure that even more strategies will come into play.

“We are excited to continue a strong retailer focus in our marketing strategy for next season. Our team makes every effort to lift up retailers who carry our apples and to help build consumer awareness,” Jessica explained. “We just confirmed a program with Walmart for next year and are looking to expand our retailer footprint even further.”

I, for one, am excited to see what the company does next! Stick with ANUK as we report.