Washington State Department of Agriculture

Background

AVIAREPS has been representing the Washington State Department of Agriculture in Japan since 2020, with the overarching objective of driving awareness of “Washington State” along with its abundance of different agricultural products. Over the years, AVIAREPS has implemented marketing activities across various channels targeting key business and consumer audiences.

As part of this approach, in 2021, for example, AVIAREPS Japan planned and launched an integrated promotion.

Solution

• Restarting in-person activities post-pandemic, AVIAREPS Japan conducted a synergized three-tiered promotion combining traditional retail and food service promotions with media partners – to reach and engage our key audiences
• Worked closely with Washington State cherry, oyster, and beef importers in Japan to strategize effective promotion and coordinated with retail stores and food service establishments to provide opportunities for consumers to experience Washington products
• Worked closely with online and print media Sankei Living and Ryuta Kijima, a high-profile culinary researcher and chef, to promote and execute an effective cooking webinar targeting consumers, utilizing products available in retail and food service promotion
• Planned and designed unique POS materials (poster, stickers, leaflet with recipes featured in cooking event) featuring the “Washington Grown” logo for branding consistency and to amplify the message of “Washington State” as a major agriculture-producing region in the U.S. for retail and food service promotions

Results

• Activated 6 retail stores in Tokyo and Kansai to highlight more than 15 Washington State products
• Activated more than 10 food service outlets in the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area to incorporate Washington products in their menus
• Through the three-tiered promotion, AVIAREPS achieved six times the KPI of webinar participants, almost four times the KPI of earned media value, as well as delivered double the total number of retail promotion days and four times the food service promotion days of the KPI

WSDA Promotion