2025 - Your Commission at Work

YOUR PROMOTIONS COMMITTEE AT WORK

PR Opportunities

This fiscal year, we strategically invested in PR opportunities to boost sweetpotatoes’ visibility through credible, third-party voices. By partnering with registered dietitians as media spokespeople, we gained access to trusted broadcast platforms and reinforced sweetpotatoes as a healthy, versatile ingredient. These collaborations not only expanded our geographic reach but also allowed us to deliver tailored messaging to both English- and Spanish-speaking audiences in our target markets.

Key Dietitian Partnerships: Annessa Chumbley

Annessa showcased sweetpotatoes on Palmetto Life in Charleston (late January) and Great Day Washington (week of February 20). Her approachable recipe demos highlighted simple, nutritious ways to enjoy sweetpotatoes and connected strongly with viewers, particularly as Palmetto Life is one of the region’s top lifestyle shows.

Gisela Bouvier

Gisela helped us reach Florida audiences in both English and Spanish. She appeared on ABC Tampa’s Morning Blend and WSFL Miami’s Inside South Florida , reaching over 1.4 million households and generating 50,000+ web impressions. These segments marked the first Spanish language sweetpotato promotions in the region, connecting authentically with Hispanic consumers.

Parker delivered segments across three influential markets, positioning sweetpotatoes as a go-to ingredient for seasonal cooking: ATL LIVE (Atlanta) on February 21 KC Spotlight (Kansas City) on February 27 WSMV Nashville on March 24 Parker Wallace (Parker’s Plate)

These consecutive placements not only expanded our geographic reach but also kept sweetpotatoes top of mind during a peak season for healthy eating content. Altogether, these PR efforts generated millions of impressions across broadcast, web, and social channels, significantly amplifying our messaging. Beyond the numbers, they reinforced consumer trust by associating sweetpotatoes with credentialed dietitians and lifestyle experts, while breaking new ground with Spanish-language promotions. This initiative played a key role in our National Sweetpotato Month 2024 celebration. (Mark your calendars, February 1- February 28, 2026, for National Sweetpotato Month-- more fun and unique ways to promote NC Sweetpotatoes to come.) Looking ahead, PR opportunities will continue to be a cornerstone of our communications strategy, leveraging media personalities and targeted market placements to keep sweetpotatoes visible, credible, and relevant throughout the year.

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