Produce For Better Health Foundation Inspires Fruit And Veggie Lovers Everywhere Through Dynamic National Fruits & Veggies Month Campaign, Have A Plant Nation

The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) recently concluded its second annual National Fruits & Veggies Month (NFVM) campaign, a month-long celebration of everyone’s favorite, most flavorful plants – fruits and veggies. Themed Have A Plant Nation, the innovative campaign generated nearly 75 million impressions throughout September via traditional and social media channels. Success stories from the 2020 NFVM campaign include:

• 59 million impressions from consumer-facing media NFVM wire release announcing campaign launch;
• 12 million potential impressions from thousands of social posts using #haveaplant, #haveaplantpledge and #NFVM2020;
• 4 million potential impressions from the second annual NFVM #haveaplantchat Twitter chat, hosted by PBH Fruit and Vegetable Ambassador in Action, Beau Coffron, Lunchbox Dad;
• Nearly 3 million impressions from hundreds of social posts across PBH channels, including posts from PBH members and PBH Fruit and Vegetable Ambassadors in Action (FVAA).

These robust results demonstrate the success and profound impact of PBH’s call-to-action to drive consumption and corresponding September theme, Have A Plant Nation – celebrating the diverse ways we uniquely enjoy fruits and vegetables across the nation while also inspiring greater connectivity and unity. Throughout September, PBH’s plant-packed social content was supported by innovative digital and social activities, compelling video content from PBH’s superstar Fruit and Vegetable Ambassadors in Action and partnerships with synergistic organizations, like the FMI Foundation and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, on behalf of The Beef Checkoff.

Digital and social content was complemented by an invitation-only Have A Plant Nation Virtual Influencer Event – the official celebratory finale to NFVM. The exclusive, two-day influencer event was filled with interactive sessions and experiential tasting experiences; included crucial conversations on food safety, the state of consumers’ consumption habits and overall WOW moments of major inspiration; and generated close to 1 million impressions via traditional and social media channels over the course of just a few days.

“PBH’s 2020 NFVM results speak volumes and illustrate that this year’s powerful campaign, Have A Plant Nation, moved the needle toward increasing fruit and vegetable consumption across the country,” says Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, president and CEO of PBH. “Through the support of our dedicated members and extraordinary Ambassadors, September marked a pivotal moment in driving home the importance of enjoying more plant-packed meals among millions of Americans, each and every day for healthier and happier lives.”

It is not only the PBH’s consumer movement, Have A Plant, that is gaining attention from influencers and consumers alike. Since its launch in April 2019, PBH’s new and comprehensive digital ecosystem has experienced enormous growth, with a significant spike in engagement during the Covid-19 pandemic, as consumers spend more time online. In fact, to address consumers’ need for Covid-19 food-related resources, PBH curated a dedicated landing page to address misinformation regarding what is safe to eat during these uncertain times, along with a downloadable Q&A featuring science-driven, expert advice and links to helpful resources on how to properly select, serve, savor and store fruits and vegetables.

“The tremendous growth of PBH’s digital ecosystem is indicative of the overall penetration of the Have A Plant Movement,” says Katie Calligaro, marketing and communications director of PBH. “The investment that our members and the industry made in 2019 toward enhancing our website, as well as our social media channels is providing great RIO right now, and we plan to double down on our efforts in 2021 to keep the momentum going. In order to generate true behavior change, we have to meet people at the point of inspiration, and now more than ever, that is happening in the digital space.”