Premium Scottish berry brand AVA Berries is toasting its strongest seasonal sales to date following the launch of a new influencer and experiential marketing campaign shortly after lockdown was introduced.
So far this year, almost 4.7 million punnets of AVA strawberries have been sold across the UK, an increase of over 2 million compared to this time last season.
Spanning targeted PR, digital advertising and partnerships with key influencers, including Scottish Kilted yoga instructor Finlay Wilson and Masterchef 2019 finalist Jilly McCord, the campaign has sought to raise awareness of the brand and demonstrate why AVA varieties offer the best in seasonal flavour.
Jill Witheyman, Marketing Manager at AVA Berries, commented: “When lockdown started, we had to completely rip up our summer 2020 marketing campaign and start again. We knew this was going to be a difficult time, not just for the British public but for our growers as well, so we had to get this campaign right.
“Looking at emerging trends, we focused our campaign on three core themes: spreading some summer cheer; looking after your mental and physical health at home; and enjoying moments of luxury while in lockdown.”
The company also launched a new partnership with McQueens Dairies to deliver sample punnets of AVA strawberries to over 2,500 households across Scotland during what would have been the start of the Wimbledon fortnight – traditionally a key selling period – and rolled out additional targeted digital advertising activity to support sales.
Witheyman said: “The activity was a resounding success with sales rising 59% during what would have been the Wimbledon fortnight.
“We’re in peak strawberry season now so we won’t be able to judge the full success of the campaign until the end of the season, but we’re on track for a record-breaking year.”
