SweeTango weekly apple sales increased 43.6 percent in the U.S. between August 7th and October 29th. This was and average of 54 pounds per store over the same time frame in 2015, according to apple grower cooperative Next Big Thing.
The co-op, which includes 47 growers from Washington to Nova Scotia, cited Nielsen Co. data in a news release, saying SweeTango was the 10th-best-selling apple overall — falling just behind Pink Lady and Jazz — and the second-best-selling apple when compared only to club varieties, according to the data.
Pricing for SweeTango averaged $2.33 per pound and $233 a week per store in sales.
A marketing program by Next Big Thing was rolled out across the U.S. and Canada in 2016 that included “refreshed packaging designs” and joint efforts with retailers to invest in digital coupons and in-store demos.
The campaign included a new tagline, “Free the Crunch,” along with a social media contest that generated 1,400 entries on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as a 42 percent increase in traffic to SweeTango.com, over a 47-day period.
The initiative also had a series of short-form animated videos promoting the apple variety’s crunch and flavor, which drew 42,000 views on YouTube and Facebook over a 90-day period.
The effort also included a SweeTango Society blogger outreach program, with 12 bloggers in the U.S. and Canada featuring unique SweeTango recipes on their blogs from September through November.
“Consumer awareness and trial for the brand continues to receive favorable responses at shows as well as with in-store sampling and local marketing events,” said David Williams, vice president of sales and marketing with Wolcott, N.Y.-based Fowler Bros. Inc..
A highlight of the season was partnering with the Syracuse Crunch AHL hockey team to promote the uber-crunchy SweeTango with sampling, in-game fan activities like apple dunking on the ice, and more.
The overall 2016 crop was slightly larger than 2015 but marginally smaller than projected due to Midwest hail in the early growing season and harvest-time cracking in New York, the co-op reported.