Stay Active Eat Healthy Presentation 1

Marketing Your Healthy Choice Facility

Strategies for Promoting Healthy Food and Beverages for

Sale

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If I have an apple…

“If I have an apple and you have an apple and we exchange apples, we both have one apple. If I have an idea and you have an idea and we exchange ideas, we both have two ideas.” George Bernard Shaw

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Why Are You Here?

• To learn how to apply effective strategies and tactics in marketing a healthy choice facility

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What Will You Learn?

• Why a marketing strategy was developed

• How the branding and marketing components were developed

• Lessons learned from Phase 1 communities

• Strategies for future healthy choice communities

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What’s the Problem?

1. New approach = new thinking2. Return on Investment impact3. Changing business norm4. Changing consumer behaviour5. Getting everyone to see ‘the big

picture’ (a healthier population)

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What’s the Solution?

• Research and case studies• Develop core resources• Apply, test and evaluate strategies• Learn from and share promising practices

• Adjust strategies from lessons learned

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Why a Marketing Strategy?

1. To connect healthy eating with better health

2. To encourage industry and community engagement

3. To promote consumer engagement4. To provide tools to help

participating sectors and industry

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Branding and Marketing Development

• Identify primary/linked factors • Research best practices• Develop graphic design elements and tagline

• Develop a “menu”of marketing materials

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Marketing Materials

CollateralWeb Based Resources

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Web-based Resources

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Getting Started: Three Things To Do First

1. Pull together a marketing “ideas” group- make it diverse

2. Review available resources and develop your own “home grown” ideas

3. Decide how you will test your ideas and actions- change things that don’t work- strengthen things that do work

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Applied Ideas

Foyer Display

Entrance Door

Product Placement

• Talk to your maintenance staff

• Talk to suppliers about their vending machines

• Talk to your customers about what they notice

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Think Different

Be Creative

Locker Door

Towel Dispenser

Drinking Fountain

Treadmill View

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Home Grown Ideas

• Real traction starts with home grown ideas.– Apply marketing in unexpected places. – Go where the “eyes” are.– Provide healthy food samplers.– Healthy brown bag lunches for kids day programs as a purchase option for parents.

– “Healthy rewards” surprises with healthy choice vending purchases.

– Close to home - using locally grown produce or hosting ‘pocket markets’.

– Find new ways to apply the branding - on clothing, program brochures, activity passes, bookmarks, hand stamps

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What Was Learned?

• “Communicating early and often” supports buy-in by all stakeholders

• Pro-active media relations improves understanding & mitigates negative issues

• Engaging industry (suppliers) as marketing partners pays important dividends

• Collaborative “team” approach (suppliers, facility staff) ensures continuity and avoids mis-steps

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What Was Learned?

• Consumer involvement provides feedback for marketing adjustments

• No “one size fits all” approach - materials and strategies must fit your environment

• Rec centres are busy places - information overload creates major challenges

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What Was Learned

• Customers notice when things are “different”

• Rec centres are busy places - information “overload” is a challenge

• Repetition and “cutting through the clutter”

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What Was Learned: Going Viral

• Stuff got stolen.“The kids took them (decals) for their cars.”- Solution: Provide decals as handouts

• WOMM (Word of Mouth Marketing). One facility found new customers coming “just for lunch” to experience the new healthy choices café menu.

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Ideas For Phase 2 and Beyond

• Tell “all” stakeholders what you are doing, why you are doing it and how they can be involved

• Pull a group together to brainstorm• Let suppliers manage their vending machines or concession space

• Inform maintenance staff: “Do not remove”

• Be creative - think different

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Ideas for Phase 2 and Beyond

• Review all available resources and pick and choose those that best fit your needs

• Don’t confuse the public with multiple messaging - keep it consistent

• Migrate the branding into your own vehicles to leverage existing resources

• Engage the community in new ways- pocket markets, healthy eating events, taste testing

• Say it, say it and say it again

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Ideas for Phase 2 and Beyond

• Commit to the 4 R’s: - Review: Periodically look at what and how you are doing- Renew: Identify and incorporate new strategies and ideas - avoid staleness - Replace: Keep marketing materials present- Repeat: Incorporate the branding and message into other vehicles and opportunities

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A Word About Working With the Media

• Be proactive. Involve media early so they understand the concept and intent

• Let the media know what customers think

• Invite a reporter to lunch• Connect media with your

suppliers and contractors so they can hear their views

• Be open and honest• Stay “future focused”

- the right thing to do

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Marketing Your Healthy Choice Facility Effective Strategies for PromotingHealthy Food and Beverages for

Sale