Media and marketing update May to September 2024
Australian Mushrooms will be launching a new campaign to drive top of mind awareness and consideration amongst light – medium buyers. Live from October, the campaign will include Digital TV, Broadcast Radio, PaidSocial Media, Earned Media (including activity in Mushroom Month and celebratingSummer), Retail Outdoor, Digital Audio and Retail Media.
Shopper engagement during in-store sampling program
The Mushroom In-Store Sampling Program (MU21503) has reached over 70,000 shoppers in supermarkets across the nation. Conducted throughout 2022, the strategy has delivered important insights into consumer attitudes, which will help inform future marketing activities.
The Mushroom In-Store Sampling Program (MU21503) has reached over 70,000 shoppers in supermarkets across the nation. Conducted throughout 2022, the strategy has delivered important insights into consumer attitudes, which will help inform future marketing activities.
Understanding price elasticity in the Australian mushroom industry
The Australian mushroom industry is a significant horticultural sector, with potential to expand in the future. Recent data from NielsenIQ, in partnership with Hort Innovation, reveals that almost 80% of households now purchase mushrooms. However, the role of price in changing demand, as well as potentially reaching new consumers, is not well understood.
PROJECT PROOF BY FIFTYFIVE5, Consumer research funded through the Mushroom Industry Marketing levy
In realigning their approach to mushroom marketing, Hort Innovation has committed to strong collaboration with the Mushroom Industry Strategic Investment Advisory Panel (SIAP). This will ensure that any decisions regarding mushroom messaging are data-driven, rather than being based on opinion or hearsay. The objective is to drive demand for mushrooms through increasing consumer knowledge, attitudes and purchase intent.
In realigning their approach to mushroom marketing, Hort Innovation has committed to strong collaboration with the Mushroom Industry Strategic Investment Advisory Panel (SIAP). This will ensure that any decisions regarding mushroom messaging are data-driven, rather than being based on opinion or hearsay. The objective is to drive demand for mushrooms through increasing consumer knowledge, attitudes and purchase intent.
Consumer trends – a snapshot
A presentation by Atomic 212 to Hort Innovation earlier this year contained plenty of hopeful news for mushroom growers as Australians seek to boost immunity, care for their mental health, and reduce meat consumption.
The three main takeaways were
1. Australians with diets that are all or almost all vegetarian have increased by 48% in the last five years
2. Australians prioritise healthy living and are trying to make environmentally conscious choices
3. Key insights for the horticultural industry are the accelerated reduction in meat in Australian diets, good economic outlook for fresh produce, and a return to pre-pandemic levels of media and advertising consumption
Image credits: Atomic 212°
MT21011 - Foodservice foundational market insights
Key delivery partner: KPMG
This investment is equipping the avocado, melon, mushroom, onion, papaya, sweetpotato and vegetable industries with market insights into the foodservice sector. These insights will be used to create targeted strategies for these industries to engage with food service providers more effectively and direct their efforts to expand in the most viable, profitable market segments.
The research team will base the targeted strategies on extensive market intelligence research supplemented with industry consultations to deliver insights on industry landscape, price points, demand drivers, competitive insights, including seasonality, and in-depth analysis of the trade performance of the market.
The key output of this project will be a detailed report that guides industry on how to engage with the foodservice sector, capitalise on identified opportunities and ultimately grow in prioritised segments of commercial and industrial sectors.
The report will also include macro-level market intelligence on the foodservice sector, sub-segment prioritisation within commercial and institutional segments, customer value propositions and a list of essential industry stakeholders for engagement.
What was it all about?
This investment has delivered market insights into the foodservice sector for the avocado, melon, mushroom, onion, papaya, sweetpotato and vegetable industries. These insights can be used by industry to create targeted strategies on how to engage with foodservice providers more effectively and how to direct their efforts to expand in the most viable, profitable market segments.
The key output of this project is the Category snapshot report that guides industry on how to engage with the foodservice sector, capitalise on identified opportunities and ultimately grow in prioritised segments of commercial and industrial sectors.
The report includes macro-level market intelligence on the foodservice sector, sub-segment prioritisation within commercial and institutional segments, customer value propositions and a list of essential industry stakeholders for engagement.
The research team based the targeted strategies on extensive market intelligence research supplemented with industry consultations to deliver insights into industry landscape, price points, demand drivers, competitive insights and in-depth analysis.
Project Outputs
Access the Category snapshot report that highlights category-specific macro trends, segmentation alignment, value chain nuances that need to be considered by category industries, and commercial decision opportunities.
Access the Foodservice market insights strategy, which provides guidance on foodservice industry activity and investment that will allow focus industries to capitalise on identified opportunities across foodservice.
Download other resources produced by the project, including:
Market profile report, which provides key insights for each of the foodservice channels.
Segmentation report, which provides practical information on each of the foodservice channel’s general requirements and attitudes.
Value chain maps to improve understanding of the value chain that horticultural produce moves through.
MU21005 - Mushroom price elasticity of demand
Key research provider: Natural Capital Economics
This project is delivering the mushroom industry with valuable information on how changes in the price of mushrooms and substitute/complementary products can affect the industry’s market share and overall revenue.
By understanding how consumer purchasing patterns respond to changes in the price of similar products, the industry can determine the optimal value/volume mix that is sustainable and viable for the whole supply chain.
MT21010 - Economic contribution of Australian horticulture
Key research provider: Centre for International Economics
This short investment is using a suite of economic models to measure and understand how the horticulture industry contributes to the Australian economy. The project will estimate the direct and indirect impacts on the national economy, as well as regional areas.
This project will provide the horticulture sector with the information needed to articulate how their activities contribute to regional, state and national economies, and will assist in decision-making as well as discussions with governments and other stakeholders.
The analysis will produce a number of case studies that will provide detailed information on the importance of the horticulture industry to Australia.
MT21004 - Consumer behavioural data program
Key research provider: Nielsen
This multi-industry investment is tasked with providing regular consumer behaviour data and insight reporting to a range of industries, through the Harvest to Home platform (www.harvesttohome.net.au).
The platform has a dedicated dashboard for each commodity, making data and reporting easily accessible for industry participants.
The information is intended to assist growers and supply chain partners in decision-making for their businesses and, for the wider industry, the data and insights will be available to support strategic activities.
Project outputs
MT21201 - Consumer usage, attitude and brand tracking (pilot program)
Key research provider: Fifty-Five Five
This pilot program is providing a category tracking service to allow various horticultural categories to better understand consumer usage and attitudes and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. The initial phase of the program will run for three months to ensure that the continuous tracker runs effectively, after which a longer-term program will be put in place.
The insights gained from this program will seek to answer questions such as:
How do consumer trends and movements in behaviours, usage and attitudes to fresh produce change over time
How do these trends and evolving expectations of consumers inform future demand opportunities for both the whole-of-horticulture, as well as individual industries?
What perception metrics drive usage and purchase?
What are the barriers to brand/category salience and purchase and how do we overcome these to drive future growth?
The program will also examine the effectiveness of Hort Innovation marketing campaigns to determine how salient they are in market, what their impact is on consumer usage, attitudes and future purchase intent, and how effective they are at driving messaging comprehension and enjoyment.
MT21003 - Consumer demand spaces for horticulture
Key research provider: Kantar Insights
This investment is identifying and prioritising opportunities to engage consumers and build demand across the domestic market for fruits, nuts and vegetables. It will deliver a framework that can be used by industry to inform their decision-making around product development and marketing campaigns. The project team will compare the current ‘state of play’ against identified opportunities and prioritise based on potential impact.
The framework will be informed by research into:
Current market landscape and competitive dynamics
Consumer segmentation
Consumer occasion-based needs
‘White space’ opportunities where consumer needs are currently unmet.