SweeTango Proves It’s The “Sweet Spot” Of The Apple Season

New retail-focused campaign engages consumers in-store and online; customers can win apples, merchandise and more

LAKE CITY, Minn. (May 29, 2014) — There’s apple season, and then there’s the “Sweet Spot” of the apple season – SweeTango time. To celebrate the excitement surrounding the hyper-seasonal apple that makes taste buds dance, the brand will launch an interactive retail program that gives foodies and fans the chance to win SweeTango apples for a year, along with other fun giveaways and prizes.

The “Sweet Spot” retail campaign will launch in August as SweeTango apples hit the market. Using digital social channels and in-retail signage, the campaign will connect apple lovers with their favorite seasonal treat like never before.

The centerpiece of the Sweet Spot campaign is the “Spot the SweeTango” interactive map, available on SweeTango.com. When customers find SweeTango apples at retail locations, they are invited to tweet, text or post on Instagram using the hashtag #SweeTangoSpot.

By simply sharing the retail location where they spot the SweeTango, consumers are automatically entered to win a year’s supply of apples, branded merchandise, goodies and more. Retailers also get an added boost by having their location shared via social media and added to the interactive map.

“Customers across the country have told us they’ll never go back to other apples after trying SweeTango,” says Tim Byrne, executive director of Next Big Thing, the growers’ cooperative that produces SweeTango. “The Sweet Spot campaign lets them lead the way for their friends and family to discover this world-class apple.”

The campaign was developed to excite both retailers and consumers during the SweeTango season and invite them to share the joys of finding the best apple on the market.

“The SweeTango Sweet Spot campaign will build a community, engage customers at the store level and drive continued traffic into our retail partners,” said Byrne. “It will be a beacon for SweeTango lovers across the country and make for a busy apple season in 2014.”
Highlights of this immersive campaign include:

• Spot the SweeTango interactive map and giveaway: A consumer-driven digital promotion to spur retail awareness and in-store visits
• Social media: Contests, promotions and giveaways via SweeTango social channels
• SweeTango.com assets: Recipes, apple news, retail availability, multimedia content and more
• Traditional retail tools: In-store sampling, recipe cards and signage, giveaways, tastings and more around the country

SweeTango will also be generating social-media interest through promotions, giveaways, trivia contests and more. After an initial rush of SweeTango fans, stores can expect to see brisk business driven by media outreach along with traditional retail tools, like recipe cards, in-store samplings and more.

SweeTango, a cross between the Honeycrisp and Zestar! varieties, has been winning raves for its standout taste and texture. The apple is available from early September into November.

Last year, the SweeTango crop sold out in just 60 days — its fastest season yet. With the energy and innovation of the “Sweet Spot” campaign, 2014 SweeTango retailers can expect whirlwind sales this fall.

About Next Big Thing
Headquartered in Lake City, Minnesota, Next Big Thing, A Growers’ Cooperative is a 45-member cooperative of family growers, spread over five time zones from Nova Scotia to Washington State, that grows and markets managed varieties of apples, beginning with SweeTango®.