Monday November 4 will mark the second annual New Zealand Mānuka Honey Day, as promoted by the Unique Mānuka Factor Honey Association (UMFHA) and its members. Marketing manager Campbell Naish explains what they hope to achieve with the promotional concept, and how it can be supported.
By Campbell Naish
On the inaugural NZ Mānuka Honey Day in 2023, 31 exporters announced to millions of online followers and markets worldwide that real mānuka honey can only be found in New Zealand. This year manuka honey brands and exporters will be “Celebrating New Zealand’s Unique Gift to Global Health,” through social media, digital articles, websites and PR.
New Zealand Mānuka Honey Day aligns with early harvest in New Zealand and the transition to peak sales season in Northern Hemisphere markets. It is a prime time to highlight the origin and benefits of authentic mānuka honey to international distributors, retailers and their sales and marketing teams. In New Zealand it is an opportunity to communicate the major contribution beekeeping and honey exports make to communities around the country and the ambition to increase the value of the sector.
This year, Mānuka Honey Day provides the UMFHA the opportunity to build on the successful October launch of the Mānuka Mastery Training course for trade. Course participants are armed with helpful facts about the origins, science and health benefits of mānuka honey and UMF standards, which enables them to speak more confidently to consumers about this product.
This has been one of our most successful launches, with 2,000 business to business customers starting the course in October and more to be connected with the training –health professionals in particular – in November and through to the end of peak sales season in March.
As well as providing licence holders with Mānuka Honey Day collateral, UMFHA is focussed on two audiences. USA dietitians and nutritionists are one target, continuing our mission to raise their understanding of the health benefits of mānuka honey. We are also reaching out to retail executives across the USA to continue raising their awareness of mānuka honey and build more interest in the category.
This year we are also using Chinese language campaigns to reach resident New Zealand Chinese as well as Chinese travellers to highlight the UMF™ quality mark that underpins the health properties of certified mānuka honey.
To get involved make your own posts or articles highlighting how amazing authentic mānuka honey from New Zealand’s unique Leptospermum scoparium tree is and post to social media, to your website, and/or share with customers or your local media. Add the hashtag #UniqueManukaHoneyDay to your digital communications so others can find and share your messaging.
Comments