Increasing demand for U.S. frozen potato products with COOP promotions

Farm and Ranch Report November 2, 2011 One of the tools the U.S. Potato Board uses in its work to increase demand for U.S. potatoes is COOP promotions. The USPB’s Susan Weller says COOP promotions are basically partnering with a food service establishment like they did with McDonald’s and KFC.

Weller: “To try to either launch a new product, or support a product that maybe we want to increase the usage of. And we use promotional material, POS, or point-of-sale materials and we pay no more than 50%. Our partner pays the other remaining amount. And we use the MAP or the U.S. government funds to support them.”

The Potato Board has some guidelines regarding that point-of-sale material.

Weller: “One, which is they must talk about the high quality of U.S. products somewhere in their promotion material. Then once it is approved we will pay them after the promotion is done and we get the results from them as well.”

A recent example of a cooperative promotion was the Potato Board’s support of KFC Mexico in launching two new products using U.S. hash browns. And the results of that?

Weller: “We actually saw a 38% increase from pre-promotional sales.”

And that is new demand for U.S. potatoes.

Weller: “Absolutely new demand for a new product.”

That’s the U.S. Potato Update. Brought to you by the United States Potato Board, maximizing return on grower investment. I’m Bob Hoff for Northwest Aginfo Net.