Dive Brief:
- The Organic Trade Association (OTA) and dozens of organic brands and industry members are coming together for the month of September to launch a 30-day social media campaign aimed at clearing up misconceptions about the organic food industry. "Organic Myth-Busting Month" will use the hashtag "#OrganicFestival."
- Organic industry participants will use research and graphics to engage consumers in conversations about organic products on a variety of social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and will offer member prizes to people who share myth-busting posts on their social media channels.
- The Organic Month also includes at least five Twitter parties, hour-long Twitter chats with organic industry thought leaders, and other special events like at the Natural Products Expo East.
Dive Insight:
Social media is a common marketing channel for food and beverage companies to reach out and engage consumers with their products. Social media can be used simply for generating hype, but it can also be used to disseminate important product information on a mass scale and start conversations with consumers to enable them to voice their concerns. This offers companies and organizations the opportunity to clear up any confusions consumers might have to potentially improve sales of those products.
"Despite organic sales and accessibility at all-time highs, consumer confusion about organic benefits remains significant. ... Together, by engaging with consumers, media and influencers with a consistent and clear voice, we can change some misconceptions and bring audiences 'on the fence' about organic into the fold," Laura Batcha, OTA's executive director and CEO, said in a news release.
This information will be crucial for organic companies, even though many are already seeing significant growth, and some can be found on the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing food and beverage companies list. The market is growing so fast that in some cases, organic producers are facing shortages of certain ingredients, particularly organic feed and produce.
Larger food and beverage companies might consider ramping up social media efforts in similar ways to promote the moves they've made to make their products healthier or to improve the company's transparency, as Hershey and JBS have vowed to do this year, and Coca-Cola recently did regarding funding.