Mangover Campaign Set to Continue Inspiring Consumers in 2014

The National Mango Board’s (NMB) Mangover campaign has made a significant and positive impact among consumers and media since its launch last year. According to the NMB’s 2013 Consumer Marketing Program Tracker, more than 1.7 billion impressions were garnered in 2013, which is attributed in large part to Mangover program initiatives. To continue its successful stride, the NMB will drive mango awareness with new Mangover recipe ideas, concepts and partnerships. The NMB has also expanded to include new initiatives to several of their existing programs for 2014 to reach more retailers, foodservice professionals and industry members. In quarter 1 of 2014, the NMB kicked off the year by sharing tasty and healthy snack ideas in conjunction with the release of Disney's The Jungle Book: Diamond Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack launching February 11. This program includes several social media contests, sweepstakes and parties that feature fun Mangover snacks and recipes inspired by the movie. In addition to this promotion, the NMB will continue to share Mangover recipes, ideas and tricks throughout the year, such as inspiring consumers to Mangover special holidays such as Mother’s Day, 4th of July and New Year’s Eve with simple dishes to try at home. Recipes will include Mango Crepes, Mango Breakfast Crisp, Mango cocktails, and many more. As with 2013, 2014 will be an exciting and groundbreaking year for the NMB’s Retail Marketing and Promotions program. At the request of retailers and mango shippers across the country, the NMB will once again produce mango bin displays to help move more mangos. New for 2014, a limited number of bins will be available at no charge to mango shippers for distribution to their smaller retailers that do not currently receive promotion allocations from the NMB. Retailers should make sure to read the NMB’s February Mango Connection for the official announcement. The Mango Mania Display Contest, now in its fourth year, will be open to all retailers for the first time ever in 2014. More than $12,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the stores that build the very best mango displays. As always, the contest will run in July, and mango suppliers are strongly encouraged to get involved. Industry members should look for the announcements this spring for more information and a link to the NMB’s online order form for contest POS kits. On the retail-training front, the NMB will unveil their brand new Mango University program, complete with videos, training, quizzes and prizes for produce associates who complete the program and earn their mango diploma. Professor Mango will be the wacky guide to the world of mango retailing. As a companion to Mango University, the NMB will also create the first ever Mango Retail Handling and Ripening Guide with best practices for handling, merchandising and ripening mangos to help retailers drive their sales through the roof! In addition to working with retailers, the NMB continues to encourage use of fresh mangos in foodservice. Their innovative Foodservice PR & Marketing program includes working with operators, chefs and foodservice media to increase mango consumption. This year, they will continue to work with the foodservice media by sharing news about fresh mangos and secure editorial placements; all while conducting chain promotions and pitching new ideas like Mangover that reach distributors and operators. In addition to increasing media coverage and mango menu items, they will conduct for the first time ever a Chef Recipe Mangover Contest. This contest will be open to commercial and non-commercial operators. This will help engage and encourage chefs across the country to experiment with fresh mangos. Also new to the program is Foodservice Research, which entails a Menu Trak Study conducted by the Foodservice Research Institute that will track mangos as an ingredient or component of dishes. This study will help determine menu trends and target chains for promotion partnerships. As the NMB announced last month, they produced culinary curriculum and videos to educate culinary students and instructors, as well as practicing chefs, about handling and cooking with fresh mangos. To continue inspiring future culinary professionals, they will promote the use of the curriculum by conducting outreach to culinary schools and the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education. Industry members should make sure to sign up for the NMB’s Mango Connection at www.mango.org/industry/mango-connection to receive monthly updates on NMB programs and announcements. To learn more about the NMB’s programs, please visit the industry section of www.mango.org.