36th Annual Marketing Excellence Award Winner: National Watermelon Promotion Board

PROMOTION

Slice of Happy Project

STRATEGY

The primary goal of the National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) is to increase awareness of and interest in the unique offerings of watermelon to stimulate demand and consumption. Each year, NWPB conducts consumer research to measure watermelon’s usage, attitudes and impact on mood. The 2022 survey revealed more than half of consumers report feeling “happy” (39%) or “fantastic” (13%) when eating watermelon. Others feel refreshed (12%), relaxed (5%) and satisfied (4%).

To demonstrate watermelon as a nutritional, sustainable and mood-boosting food, NWPB developed engaging, educational and seasonal content to leverage across a spectrum of channels to reach target audiences.

RESULTS

Since its launch, June 1, 2023, the Slice of Happy Project has met or surpassed all outlined communication objectives, including: achieved over 14.5 million social impressions; 362,732 reels and TikTok views; 7,834 pageviews and 6-plus hours on page; and 11,173,209 earned media impressions.