Scoring Mangoooals for the Win!

Objective: To increase mango consumption and strengthen consumer education to break some of the main barriers of mango purchase awareness, selection, cutting and usage.

Campaign: The National Mango Board (NMB) teamed up with soccer to score big with fans through a strategic combination of sampling events, social media, retail promotions, player appearances, and a spokesperson. Through these approaches, the NMB partnered with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to feature mangos as the “Official Superfruit of the NWSL,” and following the success of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, mango continues to grow in popularity along with the sport. The NMB also partnered with US Youth Soccer with mangos as the “Official Snack of US Youth Soccer.”

Sampling events allowed the NMB to reach consumers on a one-on-one basis with fresh mango samples and educate them on how to choose, cut and use mangos. Social media encourages mango conversations and engagement from followers and it is a powerful medium to inspire and educate consumers. The NMB also coordinated giveaways through key influencers (such as youth soccer), and involved several retail stores to run campaigns during the sampling matches in select markets.

Results: Beyond the 2.6 million digital impressions and media coverage, the acquisition of Julie Johnston was ideal because sharing her love of mangos with soccer fans via social media channels and national media interviews sustained the NMB’s marketing efforts. In June, Johnston was part of a Satellite Media Tour (SMT) day in New York City where she showcased how she uses and enjoys mangos to train, snack, and prepare for the upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.