Cost of living, consumer behaviour and the implications for the mushroom category
Hort Innovation's Consumer Insights Manager Wendy Hubbard speaks on the cost of living, mushroom category performance, consumer behaviour and the implications for the mushroom industry.
Wendy is a seasoned insights professional with over two decades of experience in the consumer insights industry. Her expertise lies in identifying opportunities and challenges using multiple data sets and transforming these insights into compelling narratives that drive business growth.
She is currently the Insights Manager at Hort Innovation, where she manages consumer insights initiatives for the Australian horticulture industry.
Miguel Maestre radio spots
Miguel Maestre - aka the crazy bull - is enthusiastically promoting mushrooms on radio. The marketing team at Hort Innovation recently recorded the segments, which will be broadcast across Australia.
Listen to the six segments below.
Marketing activity aplenty
Off the back of a successful marketing campaign from July to September, the Hort Innovation marketing team is now overseeing the roll-out of activities for the remainder of this calendar year.
The FY24 quarter one campaign – involving radio, outdoor advertising panels, social media, shopper communications and a sampling program – aimed to inspire people to consume more mushrooms daily, by adding the Mighty Mushie to everyday meals.
Results from that campaign included:
· Metro and regional outdoor advertising reaching 3,707,367 adult grocery buyers
· Radio advertising reaching 3,581,474 adult grocery buyers
· Social media advertising reaching 8,419,254 adult grocery buyers
· Interim results for shopper communications (August only) showing the Woolworths campaign brought 24,000 ‘new to brand’ customers, generating $72,500 in sales during the campaign period.
The FY24 quarter two (October-December) integrated campaign is now well underway, involving radio, outdoor advertising, online shopper communications, social media and public relations activities.
Central to the current campaign is the creative idea of ‘Reinvent the Meal’ which brings to life the brand truth that ‘mighty Mushrooms can add a whole lot more flavour to ordinary meals’.
New recipes and visual assets are being unveiled throughout the campaign period to showcase delicious everyday meals and to inspire consumers to cook with mushrooms.
Celebrity chef Miguel Maestre is also taking centre stage during the campaign, having already headlined the Mushroom Festival in Melbourne, crossing live from Costa Mushrooms in Victoria and cooking a delicious recipe for the Studio 10 television program, and generally promoting mushroom month in October.
The summer edition of MushroomLink magazine will contain more information about all the mushroom marketing activities and achievements.
Meat trays get a mushroom makeover
Meat raffles are a cultural icon in many Australian pubs and clubs but in April the traditional raffle was turned on its head.
Hort Innovation, through the mushroom marketing fund, partnered with Australian Mushrooms to launch what is believed to be the world’s first Mushie Meat Tray. Complete with butcher-quality cuts of portobellos, buttons, flats and cups, alongside the usual sausages and steaks, this is the flexitarianism meets Aussie pub culture at its finest.
Former rugby league footballer, television presenter and RSL club enthusiast Beau Ryan launched the Mushie Meat Tray at the Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club in Sydney.
Patrons on the night enjoyed mushroom-inspired versions of classic Aussie dishes, including mushroom parmigiana, mushroom risotto, and mushroom burgers. Combined meat and mushroom - or mushroom only - trays (25 in total) were raffled on the night.
Hort Innovation marketing manager, Emma Day, said research had revealed that more than 70% of Australians head to their local RSL for their chance to win the meat raffle and more than a quarter of Australians would much rather win an RSL meat tray than go surfing at Bondi Beach.
The team behind the campaign are delighted with the media buzz surrounding the event.
“To date, we have secured more than 100 pieces of coverage, providing more than 60 million opportunities to reach Australians,” Ms Day said.
“We received coverage on platforms and in publications such as News.com.au (Australia’s leading news site), Sunrise (Australia’s number one TV breakfast show) and Man of Many (Australia's largest men's lifestyle site). We also secured an interview with Australian Mushrooms grower Chris Tolson, with the North Queensland Register piece syndicated across six titles.
“On launch day, we secured an opportunity with breakfast TV show Sunrise. During the five minute live cross from the Canterbury RSL, Beau Ryan explained what the Mushie Meat Tray was, talked to our key messaging and mentioned Australian Mushrooms on multiple occasions. The clip syndicated 44 times nationally.
“To further drive our social media presence, we launched an Instagram competition to encourage different community groups to apply to win their very own Mushie Meat Trays. To enter, fans had to comment on why they thought their community group deserved to win trays to auction off. This garnered more than 700 entries.”
The trays are now set to be rolled out nationwide, with Australian Mushrooms launching a toolkit to help RSL clubs create their own take on the Mushie Meat Tray, and RSL clubs in both Queensland and Victoria have answered the call.
Over 70,000 shoppers engaged during in store sampling program
The Mushroom In-Store Sampling Program (MU21503) has reached over 70,000 shoppers in supermarkets across the nation. The program, conducted throughout 2022, has delivered important insights into consumer attitudes, which will help inform future marketing strategies.
The program, funded by Hort Innovation through the mushroom marketing levy, aimed at increasing the domestic demand for Australian mushrooms. With close to 50,000 samples consumed during the campaign period, and more than 70,000 shoppers exposed at 617 stores across the nation, the data provides a reliable information into current drivers and barriers to purchase.
Taste (58 per cent) and versatility (31 per cent) are the dominant factors that made mushrooms appealing to customers. Texture (seven per cent) and price (three per cent) were other factors influencing purchase of mushrooms.
Conversely, price (40 per cent) and a dislike for mushrooms (21 per cent) were the main factors deterring mushroom purchase and consumption among those customers who were questioned.
Twenty per cent of customers questioned during the campaign, which ran from August to December 2022, indicated that they were not deterred from purchasing mushrooms by any factors.
The Mushroom In-Store Sampling Program was endorsed by the Mushroom SIAP to drive category growth with point of purchase conversion by inspiring shoppers with delicious and easy mushroom recipes to taste while in store.
“How do we inspire consumers to consider and use mushrooms more often?”
With 49 per cent of Australian households deciding on their dinner menu last minute (an all-time high), the campaign took the opportunity to remind shoppers that mushrooms would make a great dinner idea. The campaign took place on the busiest retailer days of the week and timeframes for greatest impact.
To maximise any benefit from impulse purchasing, promoting an inspiring recipe – together with other messages around versatility - was recognised as key.
The campaign aimed to:
Increase awareness of versatility of mushrooms by promoting healthy eating without the hassle
Encourage trial purchase of Aussie Mushrooms
Communicate versatility, ‘blendability’, usage scenarios and hand out recipe leaflets
Communicate key selling messages
Highlight where the products can be located in-store
Encourage customers to buy directly from the promotional table
Leave customers with a positive brand experience.
The campaign involved static in-store sampling through which shoppers were invited to taste two mushroom recipes – vegetarian meatballs and mushroom mini-toast – which were prepared and sampled in-store by Australian mushroom brand ambassadors.
Vegetarian meatballs were chosen as a popular family meal that taps into the growing trend for people to reduce the amount of meat in their diets. The mushrooms on toast recipe aligns with the AMGA-run Café Culture foodservice campaign, #mymushroomtoast.
A total of 68% of shoppers interacted with were converted into trying a sample, with 52% indicating that they intended to buy the product after consuming a sample.
More than 12,000 manually counted units of pre-packaged mushroom products were sold during this period, in addition to 5624 kilograms of loose mushrooms.
Northbridge (NSW), Marrickville (NSW), Gordon (NSW) and Springwood (Qld) were among the highest sampled stores.
Jamison (ACT), Blacktown (NSW) and Dapto (NSW) recorded the highest pre-packed sales. Dickson (ACT), Heidelberg (Vic) and Dee Why (NSW) recorded the highest loose sales.
Other topline insights from the campaign included:
75% of customers thought about the product prior to trial
Consumers were very receptive to sampling the products and the majority of customers spoke favourably of mushrooms as a vegetarian option at mealtimes
The aroma of garlic and mushrooms throughout the store encouraged sampling
Promotional materials with a QR code link to the recipes provided a significant talking point and caught the attention of many samplers
Brand ambassadors reported that some samplers shared that they would be buying all ingredients to make the meatballs or mini toast for themselves and/or their family
In terms of negative feedback, the most common barriers to sampling were customers who did not like mushrooms or those allergic to mushrooms.
Due to the success of the 2022 program, the Mushroom SIAP has endorsed another round of sampling in the second half of FY23, starting in March.
This article was originally published in the MushroomLink magazine issue 04 (28 March 2023). Click here to view the full publication.
Marketing update – mushroom in-store sampling
When it comes to planning dinner, nearly half of Australian cooks are last minute Larrys, providing the perfect opportunity to remind shoppers of the wonders of mushrooms as they do their dinner shopping.
With this key statistic in mind, the Hort Innovation marketing team developed the Mushroom In-Store Sampling Program.
Capitalising on the prevalence of impulse buyers in Australian supermarkets, mushroom ambassadors were at the ready to inspire eager shoppers with mouth-watering aromas, delicious tasting samples, and simple recipes to cook at home that night.
The in-store sampling, part of the levy-funded MU21503 project, was endorsed by the Mushroom SIAP to drive category growth with point of purchase conversion by inspiring shoppers with easy mushroom recipes to taste while in store.
The overall objective of the campaign is to contribute towards the FY22 Australian Mushrooms Brand vision to push long term domestic growth for the mushroom category.
The initiative is part of an effort to make Australian mushrooms a staple ingredient in the Australian home by driving increased consideration and frequency of purchase, and answer the underlying question:
“How do we inspire consumers to consider and use mushrooms more often?”
Emma Day, marketing manager at Hort innovation, explains that this initiative is part of a four pillar plan that underpins the mushroom marketing strategy (see MushroomLink, Issue 1 Winter 2022, page 19 for the full marketing strategy).
“This project is part of our Pillar 3 Win in Retail, which aims to increase the visibility of mushrooms in retail settings,” she said.
“In addition to in-store sampling, other elements of Pillar 3 include in-store advertising, online shopping advertising and out of home (OoH) advertising panels on the path to purchase, i.e., close to, or inside of, retail stores.
“As the project runs until the end of the year, we are still collecting data, but customer feedback has been very positive,” Emma added.
The in-store sampling program (10am-2pm) and (3pm-7pm) ran across the country (except Northern Territory) in Woolworths and Coles stores. Demonstration tables, branded with Australian mushrooms imagery, also contained additional marketing collateral including business cards and a QR code linked to the Australian Mushrooms website for more mushroom recipes.
Australian Mushroom Brand Ambassadors prepared two recipes, namely vegetarian ‘meatballs’ and mushroom mini toast. Australian families love meatballs, and this vegetarian version taps into the growing trend for people to reduce the amount of meat in their diets.
The mushrooms on toast recipe aligns with the AMGA-run Café Culture foodservice campaign, #mymushroomtoast, recently won by the Guyala Café in Cairns.
A total of 276 in-store sampling sessions have been completed thus far, with sessions ramping up toward Christmas to complete 600 in total by end of 2022.
The current results are as follows:
Total samples: 23,736
Total interactions: 32,568
Average samples per session: 86 (Target: 80)
Average interactions per session: 118 (Target: 115)
Customer feedback suggests that they love the vegetarian options and the aroma of the garlic and mushrooms throughout the store, which encourages tasting. The business and stand-up cards have been very successful as many samplers are interested in the recipes for the meatballs and mini toasts.
Brand Ambassadors have also been encouraging samplers to look through the “recipes” tab to view these recipes and many others, which highlight the versatility of mushrooms. This has been a key talking point among all sessions.
This article was originally published in the MushroomLink magazine Issue 03 (December 2022). Click here to view the publication.
Collaborative Marketing Workshop with the Mushroom Industry
By Emma Day, Marketing Manager HIA
Hort Innovation’s commitment to working more closely with the mushroom industry in matters relating to marketing came to realisation in early September, with the first co-design workshop. Earlier in the year the AMGA were invited to identify three to four industry representatives to be a part of the co-design panel.
The outcomes of the workshop will inform the development of evidence-based marketing strategies for 23-26, and an annual marketing investment plan for F23, ensuring that these plans are built on robust analysis, contain actions that clearly link to demand creation and facilitate transparent measurement and evaluation of actions and impact.
The workshops took place in Sydney, with representatives from the Mushroom Industry joining HIA Marketing, Data and Insights, and Industry Strategic Partnership personnel for two busy and productive days to jointly develop the marketing plans. The workshops were run by Jane Smith and Kylie Hudson, General Managers Marketing, with presentations from many of the HIA Mushroom team.
The Mushroom Industry was represented by Leah Bramich, GM AMGA, Kyle Davies, Marland Mushrooms, Georgia Beattie, Bulla Park, Tim Archibald, White Prince, with apologies from Elisa Siliato from Costa.
Day One focused on a big data download and share. Presentations were given on the broader market context of consumer’s lives, industry feedback on important issues, the retail and trading environment in which we all operate, the consumer and shopper, needs and occasions, and a FY22 activity evaluation. As a group we then prioritised our learnings and implications and agreed on the focus for our plan and who we should target.
Day Two we regrouped and then defined the big shifts required from consumers to grow the Mushroom category and set our vision and goals according to what our category would stand for in the minds of consumers. With clear objectives, we could define the key strategic pillars which will underpin the activities arising from this marketing plan.
A brainstorming session resulted in a detailed one-year plan, as well as a more future-looking horizon plan. This was followed by the business of budgeting and how we might allocate the marketing funds for year one.
With all this valuable input, the HIA marketing team will now create the detail of the plan around our agreed vision, goals, and strategic pillars. The plan will be presented to the SIAP on 20 September for approval.
In the meantime, the first part of the plan details the 12 key facts gained from the data download on day one. These insights are the key pieces of data that drove our decision making as a team, and we thought worth sharing with the industry.
My Mushroom Toast
The #MyMushroomToast campaign is up and running! And to celebrate the launch, media and foodie influencers were invited to a #MyMushroomToast cooking masterclass hosted by internationally known chef Jason Roberts.
Early in September, foodie social media influencers - with a combined following of over 255K - and reps from top-tier media outlets including Delicious, Taste and Eativity met in Sydney’s Fish Markets Cooking School to learn how to cook, prep and experiment with the Mighty Mushie.
Attendees cooked two delicious #MyMushroomToast dishes - Miso Butter Mushrooms and Cavolo Nero on Toasted Ciabatta and Balsamic Mushrooms on Sourdough Toast with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Feta and Basil Oil. By working through the recipes together, the budding mushroom advocates learnt how quick and easy it is to prep and cook with mushrooms.
To ensure maximum amplification of the event, the Hort Innovation marketing team worked with their production crew to capture extra imagery and video footage. These resources will be used throughout Australian Mushrooms’ social channels and other PR Initiatives.
Following the mushroom cooking class, Jason Roberts and Leah Bramich ran a Q&A with attendees. They answered questions and gave insight around the numerous nutritional benefits of mushrooms, the distinct umami flavour profile, and interesting facts around how mushrooms grow in a sustainable way.
The event was a great success with attendees really engaging with this most versatile of ingredients.
We are looking forward to following the #MyMushrroomToast hashtag over the next couple of months to see everyone’s culinary creations.
To encourage Aussie cafés to hero mushrooms in more dishes, Australian Mushrooms is running a competition from September to October to determine the best #MyMushroomToast, with a major prize incentive to the café that produces Australia’s Best Mushrooms on Toast dish. To read more about this initiative, see page 25 of the winter edition of MushroomLink, Mushrooms on Toast Set to Infiltrate Café Culture.
The video footage of the event can be viewed at australianmushrooms.com.au/foodservice or scan the QR code.
Australian Mushrooms Marketing Rebooted
The marketing team at Hort Innovation has developed a new approach to the Marketing Planning Process through close collaboration with industry.
This fresh approach for the FY23, presented in September 2021 by Hort Innovation General Managers of Marketing Jane Smith and Kylie Hudson, laid out a commitment to foster better working relationships with growers and peak industry bodies.
Read all about these initiatives in the first issue of the MushroomLink magazine
Grassroots Product Sampling and Events
By Leah Bramich. AMGA
Cambride Markets – Sydney
To continue to drive top of mind awareness, a levy-funded, AMGA-run Grassroots Product Demonstrations and Events Program is underway to support local growers by driving demand within communities in which they live and work.
The program has developed ‘hyper local’ product sampling events to drive the uptake of mushrooms in both regional and metro markets, providing delicious product samples and promoting “Add the Mighty Mushie” to position mushrooms as an essential ingredient for enhanced taste and health.
The AMGA have selected Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Perth and the Gold Coast for activations, along with 15 regional areas which align with grower locations. A total of 23 product sampling events are being activated around the nation.
To efficiently roll out the product demonstration and sampling events remotely, local radio stations were engaged to design their version of a ‘Hyper local event’ with preferences given to local foodie festivals, farmers markets, restaurants, or independent green grocers, with mushroom samples cooked by professional chefs. In Ballarat, a former MasterChef contestant will cook ‘Mushroom toasties', in Adelaide, well know chef, restaurateur and former MasterChef Callum Hann will cook live on stage at the Adelaide Markets, and in Perth, seaside café Odyssea will include a mushroom on toast item to their menu for the week, inviting listeners to try it.
Each regional event is accompanied with a live broadcast or street team event, and a hefty radio campaign to support it, with reach amplified via the station’s social media channels. Taking simple product sampling to the next level, all events include a product sampling element and mushroom giveaways, and the opportunity for mushroom growers to be personally involved in the grassroots promotion.
Metro events have been selected in premium markets with high traffic. The 3-day Melbourne event at Queen Victoria Market reported 1760 mushrooms on toast samples provided, with 2250 interactions. A huge impact!
Local Grower Involvement
Local growers will be invited to take part in their regions event, as many have a long history of being active in their local community, active with local media and have long-standing relationships with local businesses.
In regions where there are multiple growers, AMGA will need to manage relationships carefully to ensure each grower is represented equally, and no preferences are shown.
Managed by the AMGA, Local Growers will be invited to:
Be interviewed on-air about the mushroom growing process
Provide free mushrooms for product sampling and giveaways
Provide a display, showing the mushrooms growing process
Facilitate open days/ Farm tours
While local growers are invited to take part, all messaging will remain with the “Australian Mushrooms” brand and all promotional efforts will link back to the Australian Mushrooms channels.
While all activations were booked to deliver in FY22 (and some have indeed have been deployed), Hort Innovation and the AMGA made the decision to put the program on hold due to the supply shortage. The program is now booked for late July and August.
Regional Radio Events
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Star 106.3 – 4hr street team event 0730-1130 from Willows Sunday Markets. Chef cooking elevated mushrooms on toast. Inc. Advertising schedule
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Hit 100.7 – Toowoomba Farmers market, 3hr outside broadcast. Chef cooking mushrooms on toast. Inc. Advertising schedule
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Mix FM 97.3 – Erbachers independent greengrocer (46yrs), 3hr outside broadcast 1500-1800. Chef cooking mushrooms on toast. Inc. Advertising schedule
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Hot Tomato – HOTA Farmers Markets, 3hr outside broadcast 0800-1100. Chef cooking mushrooms on toast. Inc. Advertising schedule
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3BA – Tim Bones (Masterchef) at Ballarat Markets cooking mushroom toasties, 2hr outside broadcast 1000-1200. Inc. Advertising schedule
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Hit 91.9 – Heathcote on Show, 3hr outside broadcast 0900-1200. Chef cooking Mushroom Bruschetta. Inc. Advertising schedule
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Edge FM – 4hr live broadcast 0900-1300 from Fruits n Fare independent grocer. Chef cooked mushrooms on toast Inc. Advertising schedule
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Hit 104.9 – Albury Wodonga Farmers Markets. 4hr street team with live crosses 0800-1200 – Chef from Smart Hospitality Inc. Advertising schedule
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Hit 101.3 – Terrigal Beach Markets. 2hr pop up event with live crosses. Chef to cook mushrooms on toast. Inc. Advertising schedule
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Hit 106.9 – Newcastle Food and Flower Markets, Sandgate. 2hr outside broadcast 1000-1200 and chef. Inc. Advertising schedule
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Mix FM – 2hr roadside activation 1000-1200. Location TBC Inc. Advertising schedule
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Power 94.9 – Easts and Eats Event. 2hr pop up event, late afternoon. Chef cooking mushrooms on toast. Inc. Advertising schedule
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Nova – Callum Hann (Masterchef) 2hr cooking demonstration. Location TBC, likely the new food hall. Inc. Advertising schedule
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Nova – Odyssea restaurant featuring mushroom bruschetta on menu for a week. 2hr live cross event with chefs providing mushroom samples. Inc. Advertising schedule
METRO PRODUCT SAMPLING EVENTS
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Sampling events held at the Adelaide Central Markets for 3 consecutive Thursdays:
• 26 May 2022
• 2 June 2022
• 11 June 2022
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Sampling events held at the Queen Victoria Markets for 3 consecutive days. Each event is 9hrs.
• Thurs 30 June 2022
• Fri 1 July 2022
• Sat 2 July 2022
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Two Sampling events held Cambridge Markets events. Each event is 6hrs
• 12 June 2022
• 28 August 2022 “Christmas in July” (Postponed event)
Mushrooms on Toast set to Infiltrate Café Culture
By Leah Bramich. AMGA
An excellent opportunity exists for mushrooms to leverage current vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, meat-reducing, plant-forward, superfood and sustainability diet trends, and to become the next hero ingredient on breakfast, brunch, and lunch café menus.
It’s safe to say that you can walk into almost any café in Australia and order smashed avocado on toast.
Smashed avo’s rise to fame is tied to the wellness movement. This global sensation began more than two decades ago and was driven by consumer demand for less processed, and more fresh, healthy, and plant-forward meals; reasons which are still relevant today.
The AMGA are leading a new Foodservice Program to “infiltrate café culture” to influence cafés to replace smashed avo on their menu - with Mushrooms on Toast.
Mushrooms on Toast is similar to the smashed avo in its simplicity, while allowing cafes to get creative. It’s a quick and easy meat-free menu option for diners, with great ‘value add’ options for cafés to increase their profit margins.
Yet while smashed avo is served raw, mushrooms require cooking; typically in one of two ways - either sautéed or roasted.
A successful and desirable mushroom dish depends on how well the mushrooms are cared for during the cooking processes. Mushrooms have a high-water content, which can easily become ‘mooshie’ - therefore it’s imperative that café kitchen staff learn how to cook the mighty mushroom properly.
A key element in the Australian Mushrooms Café Culture Foodservice program is the educational tool kit. We are on a mission to ‘ban the mooshie mushie’ by teaching café kitchen staff mushroom 101 – how to choose, prep, store and cook a great mushroom dish, while enticing café owners and staff to add mushrooms to menus with a huge prize incentive.
Through this Foodservice Program, the AMGA will influence café culture by:
Scope the Foodservice industry –Food Industry Foresight have been engaged to offer detailed insight into the café sector through hard data and qualitative and quantitative industry surveys. These reports are invaluable to understanding the sector, how to educate, and how to influence menus.
Engage industry to co-design and collaborate – A Project Reference Group of café owners and food industry experts was engaged to ensure the program and educational materials have relevance.
Cooking Education – Educational videos, a ‘My Mushroom Toast’ educational booklet and café recipes with detailed profit projections were produced. These resources are housed on the new food service section of the Australian Mushrooms website and will be used in remarketing to teach and inspire cafés.
Health Education – Educating café staff of the unique health benefits of mushrooms, and to instil mushrooms as the hero ingredient for meat-free/vegan/vegetarian/flexitarian/plant-forward menu options.
Inspire menu change – Directly engage cafés through a social media competition, open to both consumers and café owners. The café major prize incentive is $10,000 for Australia’s best Mushrooms on Toast. The competition is designed to build hype as well as creating a community for mushroom menu inspiration.
Make mushrooms famous – Through a media launch and hefty PR campaign, to garner both paid and earned media to increase reach.
Monitor and evaluate – Survey the industry pre and post program, to show the effectiveness of the campaign.
The program has been researched, designed and is ready to go, however, Hort Innovation and the AMGA made the decision to put the program on hold until the current shortage is resolved. The program aims to deploy in late August through to October 2022.
New look mushroom marketing strategy built on collaboration
The team at HIA have developed a new approach to the Marketing Planning Process, through close collaboration with industry.
The fresh approach, presented in September by HIA General Manager Jane Smith, laid out a commitment to foster better working relationships with growers and their peak industry bodies.
Included in the plan are workshops with industry and the AMGA, farm visits, as well as ongoing consultation with the SIAP
The collaborative workshops will provide an opportunity to share ideas and discuss recent developments. Results from these events will shape activities for the 2023 financial year.
Concurrently, and responding to feedback from growers, the Hort Innovation Australia (HIA) Mushroom marketing team, Head of Consumer Marketing Gillian Reilly and Marketing Manager, Emma Day have been busy refocusing their marketing strategy.
Through leveraging current diet trends, there are ample opportunities for mushrooms in the vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, meat-reducing, plant-forward, superfood and sustainability spaces.
Riding on new consumer data that Australian eating habits post-COVID are leaning towards more home cooking, less meat and with a greater focus on nutrition, the new brand strategy is focused on pitching mushrooms as an everyday, for everyone, essential ingredient
Guiding the new strategy is a four-pillar approach designed to unlock the core challenge: How do we inspire consumers to consider and use mushrooms more often?
Top of mind awareness is the first pillar and seeks to increase prominence of mushrooms through media and communication activities. In practice, this means positioning Australian mushrooms as an essential ingredient in everyday meals to improve taste and nutrition. A highly successful campaign with celebrity Chef Adam Liaw at the Mushroom Meatery is a great example of this initiative in action.
Promoting the nutrition and unique health benefits of mushrooms by educating and inspiring to incorporate mushrooms in home cooking consumers forms pillar two. The consumer claims research run by Fiftyfive5 is a great example of this initiative in action. Consumers were asked to rank a variety of mushroom health claims against criteria of appeal, credibility & uniqueness. The results have been summarised in a handy grower fact sheet, which can be accessed www.australianmushrooms.com.au in the new Industry Portal section.
Increasing the visibility of mushrooms in retail settings to capitalise on impulse buying is the basis of pillar 3. Activities here include inspiring shoppers to purchase mushrooms via in-store inspiration mechanics i.e. product demonstrations and sampling, retail out of home advertising panels close to or inside of stores, and retailer in-store and online advertising.
Weaving mushrooms into café culture, and Australia’s beloved brunch, is an exciting project and the fourth pillar of the brand strategy. Mushrooms are in a position to follow in the wake of smashed avocado on toast and become a must-have menu item. The AMGA-run project has developed and is executing this “ Foodservice Program” work with cafes.
Look out for further updates on the new brand strategy in the quarterly Mushroom Link magazine.
Mushroom Meatery pop up reaches 1.9 million viewers on Weekend Sunrise
In a collaboration with Australian Mushrooms, celebrity chef Adam Liaw and Kingsmore Meats, the mushroom meatery popup – part butchery, part mushroom-focused deli – celebrated all things mushrooms for two weeks in May.
Showcasing mushrooms in a different context, the mushroom meatery was all about celebrating the versatility of mushrooms. The popup within the butchery highlighted the role of mushrooms in a healthy flexitarian diet.
During six different spots on Channel 7’s Weekend Sunrise weather segment, Adam Liaw spoke about the various types of mushrooms commonly available, offered up preparation tips for home cooks, talked about their nutritional benefits, and prepared a few mushroom meals.
Story of the mushroom x Kingsmore Meats crossover spread across traditional and social media platforms, including The Guardian, Daily Mail Australia, Urban:List, and Broadsheet.
Since the pandemic, more Australians are cooking at home and making informed decisions about what to cook. New research from Australian Mushrooms revealed that more than half of Australians have improved their eating habits over the last 12 months – with 63 per cent admitting to preparing more meals at home, eating less processed foods (49 per cent) and increasing their intake of fresh and healthy foods (49 per cent).
Coverage and Highlights of the mushroom meatery campaign
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°