July/August 2024
American Pecan Council and American Pecan Promotion Board reveal nutrition strategy that is crucial to pecan industry growth
The pecan industry is at an exciting point in its marketing history, with stakeholders along the supply chain coming together to work towards a common goal.
As CEO of the American Pecan Council (APC) and American Pecan Promotion Board (APPB), I’m honored to help lead new efforts to grow the industry.
My goal each day is to provide greater impact and return on your APC and APPB funding investments with every program and conversation. With that in mind, we created the Unified Pecan Promotion Plan (UPPP) to guide our efforts. This plan aligns the supply chain — from grower to sheller to customer — under a single vision and mission.
The UPPP was based on feedback from our listening tour, where we heard from our growers and industry partners. It is composed of four strategic initiatives: Higher Value Through Nutrition, Expanded Demand Through New Occasions, Industry Readiness Through Services Strategy and Incremental Volume Through Exports.
In the coming months I will discuss the importance of these focus areas and how the Pecan Industry can improve its positioning in each.
In this column I will discuss “Higher Value Through Nutrition.”
Higher Value Through Nutrition
People love the taste of pecans. What people don’t understand is that pecans have unique health benefits. Consequently, pecans are seen as a dispensable, price- elastic purchase rather than an essential one.
By shifting consumer mindset, we hope to increase demand and value for your products.
Health perceptions on pecans lag
Good news — Pecans are associated with being delicious.
Not so great news — Pecans don’t have a great reputation for being a price value and are not associated with being convenient.
Pecans are a staple as a holiday nut or baking ingredient for favorite desserts, but you’re likely already feeling that your pecans are lagging in consumer demand, in part, because of a lack of messaging on our health benefits.
We see that challenge as an enormous opportunity.
APPB conducted a nationwide survey among the general population 18+ and found that nearly 75% of consumer respondents would be more likely to eat more pecans if they could reduce the risk of heart disease and support brain and cognitive health.
We already know there are health benefit areas of pecans we can claim. Still, there are also new areas of research we can begin to identify and fund that will all help to drive pecan consumption and enhance value for your operations.
Higher Value Through Nutrition messaging
There are three action steps to improve consumer sentiment in the UPPP: Digital content to educate consumers, third party validators and nutrition research.
1. Educating consumers with digital media
We already have a detailed plan in place to use online marketing to reach consumers when and where they are making decisions. This marketing plan is driven by consumer perception and buying behavior data to get the most bang for your marketing buck.
The pecan industry has often used a shotgun approach for consumer marketing in the past. We’re analyzing our previous marketing footprint and working to hone it. Going forward, pecan messaging must lead the customer in their buying journey so they put pecans in their online shopping carts.
2. Activating third-party validators
Fitness and lifestyle influencers are great at carrying nutrition messages today. While you and I may not follow them online, they are a gateway to consumer demand for pecans. Our Unified Pecan Promotion Plan calls for partnerships with key cultural content creators (i.e. someone popular with an engaged following on TikTok or Instagram) to showcase everyday food solutions with your pecans.
APPB will also partner with top consumer health sites like Everyday Health to create custom, authentic articles and social posts driving pecan health benefit messaging.
We are already working to identify key health and wellness experts who will take to social media and make content contributions praising the role of pecans in a well- rounded diet.
If you (or your kids or grandkids) have a recommendation on a famous influencer who talks about fitness or healthy lifestyles, send their profile link our way!
3. Nutrition research and industry-wide messaging clarity
Our industry has a long history of generating production and processing intelligence, from extension research to processor insights to farmer trials. We want to aggregate and analyze current and future nutrition research to help leverage nutrition messaging. To be efficient and consistent, we want to consolidate claims and messages. If we are singing from the same “pecans are nutritious” hymn sheet across the entity supply chain, we all win.
You and those around you are amazing advocates for what you do and what you grow. Our job is to help provide members, allies and partners with clear, simple, consistent messages.
We admit it will likely take several years to identify and fill research gaps, refresh our health and wellness claims and align all of our “pillar stories” for consistent promotion but we have a clear vision for where we’re going and how we’ll get there.
In short, your APPB and APC team, under my leadership as your CEO, will put forth immediate promotions that will almost exclusively be focused on differentiating pecans as a novel nut with natural nutrition and great taste. Then,
we will work to cultivate a wider range of credible, third- party validators and pecan-specific nutrition research to differentiate pecans from other nuts further.
We are excited about the role nutrition positioning can play in driving demand with consumers. It is not our sole pathway to success and I’m excited to share more about our other three initiatives with you.
We value and welcome your feedback on our UPPP
I want to reiterate the values under which I and your entire APC/APPB teamwork operate. We are here to be your trusted partners and be known for our transparency and accessibility. I welcome your feedback and thoughts on the plan detailed in this article. Your texts, calls, or 1:1 visits at a variety of upcoming shows and meetings are communications I look forward to.
We are committed to unifying the industry and taking actions that support the whole. Like you, we are driven by excellence and strive for an increasingly higher return on your industry investment.
