37th Annual Marketing Excellence Award Winner: NC Sweetpotato Commission

August 12, 2025 | 1 min to read

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In this article:

The Sweet North Carolina Sweetpotato Sweepstakes, created by the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission and FullTilt Marketing, effectively combined strategic storytelling with creativity to elevate sweetpotatoes as a contemporary food staple. Utilizing social media to engage consumers, the campaign encouraged voting and participation in a sweepstakes that included a trip to Charlotte, NC. The campaign saw a remarkable increase in website traffic—149% in July and 98% in August—along with high engagement across platforms, demonstrating its success in reshaping perceptions.

PROMOTION

The Sweet North Carolina Sweetpotato Sweepstakes

STRATEGY

The Sweet North Carolina Sweetpotato Sweepstakes proves that when strategic storytelling meets creativity and purpose, fresh produce can take center stage in modern food culture. Developed by the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission in partnership with FullTilt Marketing, this campaign set out to do more than promote a vegetable — it aimed to inspire behavior change, increase consumption, and reframe sweetpotatoes as a contemporary, craveable staple. Content lived on Instagram and other social platforms, but also drove consumers to the campaign landing page to vote for their favorite dish and enter a sweepstakes. The grand prize? A trip to Charlotte, NC, and a starring role in a sweetpotato-themed recipe photo shoot during Sweetpotato Month.

RESULTS

Website traffic rose by 149% in July and 98% in August, totaling nearly 49,000 page views during the campaign — over 10,000 on the sweepstakes page alone. Thousands entered the contest, hundreds subscribed to the newsletter, and engagement across platforms skyrocketed. On Instagram, the influencers’ content generated over 1,750 interactions and reached more than 30,000 users organically.