Organic Foods Tour Festivals
Twenty-one organic brands have begun a seven-month tour to reach 3 million mainstream consumers at festivals and fairs.
This is the second year for the ONE Tour 2005 (ONE stands for “Organic and Natural Experience”), which had seven brand sponsors last year. ONE Tour 2005 will piggyback 24 events in 14 markets, such as Taste of Atlanta, Bite of Seattle and Boston Harborfest.
Each tour stop puts a 10-foot by 40-foot booth at the event with sampling and information on six brands per event, as well as a healthy-living booklet with coupons for all brands. Last year, coupon redemption was as high as 22%. ONE Tour will distribute a total of one million samples this year.
Tie-ins with local grocers give ONE Tour brands display space and signage in-store in exchange for distribution of grocers’ bags and location information at the tour booth. Tour organizers also will buy radio spots this year and host live-remotes to drive booth traffic.
“Our vision is to grow organics through mainstream America,” said Michael Martin, whose Minneapolis-based agency MusicMatters organizes the tour. The seven returning sponsors are Annie’s Homegrown, Clif Bar, Fantastic Foods, Nature’s Path, Odwalla, Organic Valley and Organic Exchange (cotton growers).
The tour builds on momentum from Go Organic! For Earth Day, a joint promotion in 2,500 supermarkets (and schools) from the Organic Trade Association and Earth Day Network. That month long effort culminates on Earth Day, April 22 (April 7 Xtra). The ONE Tour runs from April 16 through Nov. 26.
