Ian, GMOs and Marketing Discussed at Citrus Commission Meeting

Many media inquiries about Florida citrus following Hurricane Ian were addressed by Florida Department of Citrus marketing agency Edible. Alex Armentano of Edible told the Florida Citrus Commission during its October meeting that the agency worked closely with Florida Citrus Mutual and other partners to respond to media requests.

Edible worked with partners to create materials and messaging and to develop a website to share as much information as possible and continue to provide updates as needed. It also coordinated media interviews with growers and other members of the industry. 

In addition, Armentano reported insights on issues surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the lack of clarity with the average consumer. Consumers tend to assume that a non-GMO label is organic, natural and healthy, he said. He added that while the sentiment toward GMOs is negative, a majority of consumers are unaware or simply not educated about what GMO means.

Edible’s Meredith Nelson discussed the importance of marketing in crowded spaces, reporting that the average consumer sees from 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day.  That is an ad about every 30 seconds. The average attention span of a human is eight seconds, so ads need to be mindful of what consumers are paying attention to, Nelson said.

Nelson said convenience is consumers’ No. 1 expectation when shopping. She said 39% of consumers have made purchases through social media channels, and 21% have not made purchases but plan to. Social media shopping will not replace in-store shopping or e-commerce retail platforms, she stated, because 23% of consumers fear they might not get their purchase, 15% do not understand the process, and 21% are not sure if the posts are trustworthy. She said 43% of consumers are more comfortable purchasing the product they see on social media directly from the brand.

While inflation is a consumer concern, only 20% of all consumers plan to change their grocery habits as a result of inflation, Nelson reported.

Source: Florida Department of Citrus

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