WENATCHEE, WA - The power of the digital age has shown its strength once more for fresh produce. Stemilt’s newest signature apple, Rave®, is benefiting from the influential use of social media, showing it has increased in popularity this year following a digital campaign to become Instagram’s First Verified Fruit (FVF).

“We’re thrilled with the success of the FVF campaign,” explained Brianna Shales, Senior Marketing Manager. “Like we mentioned at the start of the campaign in August, sharing positive and uplifting stories to people around the country is what Rave and the brand is all about, and something we all need more of as we continue through a crazy 2020.”

The FVF campaign brought rave-worthy content to Instagram users across the nation by sharing feel-good material that includes positive and uplifting stories from communities across the country while driving community engagement and garnering followers.

According to a press release, the success of the all-digital campaign is apparent in the numbers. Between social media coverage and influencer recognition, the FVF campaign garnered nearly 500 pieces of coverage with over 200 million online readership views and reached over 38 million followers.

Well-known media outlet MSN (with 62.7 million unique viewers per month) covered Rave in a story curated around unique apple varieties consumers should try this fall. Lifestyle magazines like Seattleite and 425 Magazine also covered Rave, as well as countless influencers on Instagram including Eugene, the World Record Egg (@world_record_egg) who broke the internet in 2019.

“The amount of support we received from users across multiple digital platforms was phenomenal,” said Shales. “Plus, the partnership between Rave (@raveapples) and Eugene the Egg was a huge hit among Instagram followers, earning 3.7 million impressions. Simple partnerships like Eugene’s position Rave as the fun and social apple it is, which carries forward its success at retail.”

In five weeks, the @raveapples Instagram account grew from just shy of 75 followers to nearly 5000 followers. Shales attributed much of this success to the valued partnerships from influencers and media coverage the campaign garnered.

Stemilt also partnered with Serious Eats and Spotify to boost the FVF campaign. Serious Eats, a website/blog focused on sharing new items to food enthusiasts around the country, created a unique sandwich recipe that featured Rave apples. Stemilt also launched Spotify ads to encourage listeners to follow Rave’s Instagram page. Shales explained that focusing on these types of partnerships that is direct-to-consumer bodes well for the apple category as a whole.

“Increasing consumer awareness is important for any brand, and we’ve found the word-of-mouth approach is the best fit for the apple that people like to rave about,” stated Shales. “Once the consumer recognizes the brand, Rave’s flavor and quality are what keeps them coming back for more. It leaves the shopper with a delightful eating experience they will crave over and over again.”

While this is only the fourth season that Rave is available commercially, Stemilt has constantly promoted the brand through various types of guerrilla marketing campaigns since 2017. From pop-up shops to road trips, Rave will continue to push the apple category to new levels so consumers can enjoy fresh crop apples in the late summer.

“While we love seeing the numbers and the final results of the campaign, what we truly loved was hearing about the amazing experiences consumers had with Rave this year,” continued Shales. “It brought people together in tough times. and that’s the real win for us.”

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Stemilt