In 2023, the GEPC (European Association of Mushrooms Growers) launched a 3-year, 5 million euros, communication campaign – European Mushrooms: The Hidden Gem – co-financed by the European Commission to promote mushrooms consumption in nine European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain.
The campaign targets millennials, a critical group for fruit and vegetables consumption. The overall objectives: raise awareness about the positive aspects of European mushrooms, increase buying intention and consumption within the specific target group and boost sales. This campaign is not brand-oriented and aims to support all European mushroom growers and processors.
Independent research at the start of the campaign showed clearly that taste is the main purchase driver for the targets. And so the culinary potential of mushrooms is therefore an essential communication pillar for the campaign.
Due to the strong online affinity of millenials, the campaign is mainly digital. On https://europeanmushrooms.eu consumers can find all relevant information and the campaign is active on Instagram, FB, YouTube and TikTok to raise consumer’s awareness, and local press offices, bloggers and influencers spread the message.
According to the GEPC, the results of the first year are overwhelmingly positive: the campaign has reached more than 54M users on socials; more than 100M impressions were achieved. The more than 650 000 interactions recorded show a high level of engagement from the target group with the content shared. The website registered 139 000 sessions, and the YouTube videos, posted in December 2023, have generated 3,9M impressions in less than a month. Remarkable performances are also to be noted for the press offices in the nine countries. Overall, more than 123 million contacts were reached across Europe.
More on the campaign results in Mushroom Business 126, September 2024.
