Selah, WA: Just nine months ago, Rainier Fruit took a huge step, securing their position as the official apple of the Boston Marathon and now they are introducing a new marketing campaign in an effort to reach health-minded consumers across the U.S. The healthy lifestyle based theme, Wholesome to the Core, combines social media outreach, retail engagement and event marketing.
Mark Zirkle, President of Rainier Fruit remarked, “Over the past 4 years, we invested time and energy in strategic long-term planning. The outcome was about more than production plans and capital expenditures; it was about identifying how we grow, not just in our orchards, but in the communities where our fruit is sold.”
As a result of this strategic planning, Rainier has adopted a consumer focused mission along with the tagline ‘Wholesome to the Core™’ and a commitment to marketing and brand development. Not only will the Boston Marathon play a key role in this new marketing program, but Rainier Fruit will expand their consumer outreach throughout the running community at events and grow their online presence with enhanced social media and a new internal blog.
Andy Tudor, Director of Business Development for Rainier Fruit commented, “Our new message is about connecting with individuals seeking a healthy, active lifestyle. Today, the running community is over 19 million strong and growing, making it one of the largest and most dedicated health audiences around. As we move the program forward , it will grow to include new audiences and a variety of healthy activities.”
Expanding on the Wholesome to the Core message, Rainier Fruit recently participated in the Twin Cities Medtronic Marathon and the Portland Marathon, reaching over 100,000 consumers while also partnering with local retailers for in-market promotions and event sampling of organic Honeycrisp apples.
In addition to running events, Rainier Fruit is launching their social media campaign #RunWithRainier which will feature running legend Dave McGillivray, long-time race director for the Boston Marathon. McGillivray will serve as a #RunWithRainier brand ambassador sharing his training advice with consumers, as well as personal stories and motivation from his storied career.
McGillivray helped kick off the #RunWithRainier program in Selah, WA on October 5th at the Rainier corporate headquarters. The eventful day included a fun run in the orchard, motivational presentations for employees and a meet and greet with the local high school cross country team.
Zirkle expressed, “We grow some of the healthiest food in the world and I feel a responsibility to help both my employees and our consumers understand the lifelong value of a healthy lifestyle.” Zirkle continued, “Just like I make healthy farming choices that include sustainable growing practices, I recognize that living our best lives by making healthy choices for diet and exercise is really what Wholesome to the Core is all about.”
Rainier Fruit is a multi-generation, vertically integrated fruit company based in Selah, WA. For more than 100 years, Rainier Fruit has cultivated a culture of stewardship that extends from their orchards to their communities that has made them an industry leader in the production of apples, pears, cherries and blueberries.
Source: Rainier Fruit
