In response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fruit, vegetable and nut consumption and the corresponding effect on mental health and well-being, Hort Innovation launched a widespread marketing campaign across print, broadcast and social media to encourage Australians to buy more fresh produce. Hort Innovation provides an overview of the campaign and some early data to measure its success.

Hort Innovation developed the Good Mood Food initiative to support the horticulture sector through the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which continue to be felt in consumer spending and purchasing behaviour. The bold new marketing campaign motivates more people to consume more fruits, vegetables and nuts more often, with the message that when you eat better, you feel better.

What is The Good Mood Food?

The Good Mood Food campaign is delivering an immediate and enduring behaviour-change message to motivate more Australians to eat more fruit, vegetables and nuts, both during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is a direct-to-consumer marketing initiative playing out across the country using a range of channels, including TV, newspapers, radio, online, social media and retail partnerships.

The Good Mood Food’s central message is that fresh Aussie fruit, vegetables and nuts are natural mood boosters. The campaign is encouraging people to “eat on the bright side” – eating a wide variety of fresh and vibrant horticultural produce to look after themselves mentally, as well as physically.

The Good Food Mood features TV ads that appear across metro and regional TV (and catch-up services) during high-rating programs including Seven News, The Project and more. Ads are also placed that directly link to ‘good mood moments’ in popular shows such as MasterChef Australia, Have You Been Paying Attention? and Farmer Wants A Wife.

The Good Mood Food website acts as a central spot for campaign messages and materials, with links to recipes and inspiration from a host of industries. As the campaign continues to develop, the website will come to include health information, fact sheets and more.

The Good Mood Food has a strong focus on social media, with Facebook and Instagram pages.

Hort Innovation’s marketing team is also working on activities with retailers, as well as out-of-home advertising focusing on digital screens in close proximity to grocery shops. It’s expected that the campaign will reach up to 98 per cent of Australians through its combination of advertising, public relations, social media and media and retail partnership activity.

Latest campaign stats –

August 2020

Since the start of the campaign in May to August 2020, the campaign has:

• Reached 18,407,687 Australians – that’s 88 per cent of the total population.
• Driven 49,949 people to the website.

Through a partnership with Newscorp Australia, whose portfolio includes national, metropolitan, regional, community and specialist multi-platform brands, Hort Innovation reached audience of 608,286 people, with an average frequency of 7.6 times.

A vegetarian dinner recipe article across the Taste website drove a particularly high engagement.

More detailed statistics that covers the entire campaign will be shared by Hort Innovation after the completion of the campaign.

Find out more

For more information on The Good Mood Food campaign, please click here.

The Good Mood Food activity is funded through Hort Innovation’s risk management reserves, as part of the company’s response to assist the horticulture sector through the effects of COVID-19, drought, floods and bushfires.

This article features in the spring 2020 edition of Vegetables Australia. Click here to read the full publication.