2025 - Your Commission at Work

YOUR PROMOTIONS COMMITTEE AT WORK

Trade focus

Most of the media coverage appeared in trade publications. Notable examples include announcements of significant events, such as Governor Josh Stein proclaiming February as ‘North Carolina Sweetpotato Month’ in FruitNet, and editorial coverage by Kristian Bayford on the commission’s plans to expand sweetpotato exports to the UK—also featured in FruitNet. This underscores the importance of prioritizing the trade press office in the upcoming budget year. Continued reactive first approach While consumer reach was more modest, last year’s reactive-first media strategy proved highly effective in keeping North Carolina sweetpotatoes in the spotlight. By responding quickly to timely opportunities, the Commission strengthened its reputation as a go-to source for easy, inspiring recipes. Highlights included Stylist’s feature on refreshing, healthy desserts, where sweetpotato chia pudding resonated with a health-conscious, trend-savvy audience, and Vegan Food & Living’s seasonal coverage of roasted sweetpotato ghosts at Halloween. Both placements boosted credibility and reinforced sweetpotatoes as a stylish, versatile ingredient. Looking ahead, the focus will shift to balancing this reactive success with more proactive outreach—deepening journalist relationships, targeting top-tier outlets like Stylist UK, and securing trade press coverage to grow visibility and influence across both consumer and industry media.

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