Harris Farm Markets takes Facebook folk farming in new social media campaign via Workshop
Harris Farm Markets and Sydney-based creative agency Workshop Australia are inviting people to have their say in how fresh vegetables are grown via a new social media campaign that claims to be a world first.
Titled “The Crop”, the campaign launches today on Facebook and creates the first fan-grown harvest. “The Crop” is intended to help people understand the whole farm to store process, so they can choose the freshest fruit and vegetables available to them. People who join the Facebook page can help cultivate a real crop of vegetables and be involved in making choices from what crop is grown to actual farming decisions. The campaign will culminate with fans being able to go to their nominated Harris Farm Market store to collect the vegetables they’ve helped to grow.
Says Jamie Kwong, Workshop principal: “This campaign brings to life Harris Farm Markets’ ‘purpose’ – Delivering Goodness Everyday. By educating and involving Facebook fans in the farming of a real crop we hope to reinforce with people that fruit and vegetables really are fresher from Harris Farm Markets.”
Fans visiting the Facebook page can watch a video of Harris Farm Markets Founder David Harris explaining the initiative.
Kwong said fans will choose one of three vegetables (broccoli, bok choy or leek) they would like to farm, and then collectively help to tend the crop via Facebook including decisions on how to grow the crop and monitoring the crops’ growth.
Says Tristan Harris, director of buying and marketing at Harris Farm Markets: “The Crop” is a great way to demonstrate our ability to deliver truly fresh fruit and vegetables to our customers. We pride ourselves on delivering the freshest and best fruit and vegetables, unlike some supermarket stores who can use warehouse storage for up to two days.
“Our vegetables such as bok choy can be in store within 12-18 hours from being picked. It goes straight from the farm to the store with no storing or stacking.”
The campaign is supported by integrated marketing communications aimed to engage Harris Farm Markets’ existing Facebook fans and eDM database as well as their extensive shopper audience. As part of Workshop’s broader communications strategy, public relations specialist AC Agency has been engaged to launch “The Crop” to key consumer media/journalists/bloggers.
5 Comments
cool idea.
Digital farmers. Hope they’re not growing digital food.
Farm fresh is a great sales pitch, but this is clearly a gimmick, and smells like a very small agency selling social media to a small client with little or no marketing experience.
The consumer’s going to see it as the stunt it is, and this ‘Crop’ is likely to spoil before it ever makes it to the market.
I am one of those people who are quite content to eat green vegetables. I have no desire to know how they work.
Is Crap.
Looks like Harris Farm got workshopped.
Or maybe it was just the only marketing they were willing to pay for, and as usual they got what they paid for.
There are no free lunches, even when you grow your own crop.