The PEI Potato Council launches an immersive virtual reality campaign

HALIFAX, NS –

The Prince Edward Island Potato Board is taking the province’s sweet potatoes from the fields to the virtual realm in a new marketing campaign.

The board sent a dozen kits containing virtual reality glasses to major retailers across the country to give viewers an idea of ​​how tuber is grown and harvested on the island.

Prince Edward Island products accounted for almost a quarter of Canada’s total international potato exports from 2009 to 2018, on average, according to provincial data, and the Island is expected to remain one of the top largest potato-producing provinces in the country over the next several years.

PEI Potatoes Marketing Director Kendra Mills said in a recent interview that the campaign is tackling a challenge created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, sellers and distributors would visit Prince Edward Island and get real insight into the harvest and product, Mills said, but travel restrictions made those trips more difficult.

With the virtual reality glasses, however, viewers can experience the harvesting process without needing to be in the province.

“We found a way to bring them directly to the fields, to the farms, to the warehouses and to talk with the farmers themselves without really having to leave (their) home province,” she said.

Recipients received glasses loaded with several short videos that walk viewers through the entire process of growing potatoes, from planting and harvesting to grading and shipping, Mills said. The videos were created using 360 degree camera footage that was stitched together to form the clips. A camera was placed on top of a harvester, giving the viewer, in some cases, “a better view than if you were there yourself,” she said.

The initiative began just weeks before the federal government announced last week that it was suspending shipments of potatoes from the Island to the United States after the fungal potato wart was discovered in two fields in PEI. The council, which represents the province’s potato growers, has since started asking Canadian buyers to buy local potatoes grown on the island as part of the ban on exports to the United States. United.

Giant Tiger, a Canadian chain of discount stores and one of the council’s supplier partners, received a pair of glasses last month. Spokesman Aaron Wade said in an emailed statement that these were the first virtual reality marketing materials the company has ever received.

“The VR kit certainly set the PEI Potato Board apart,” Wade wrote. “It’s not every day that we get to visit these growing areas, and being able to bring the island to us has been a great experience.”

Viewers felt like they were standing in potato fields next to farmers during the planting process or bagging finished products ready for retail, Wade added.

The board of directors worked with Charlottetown-based marketing firm Furrow Creative on the campaign. Furrow founder and executive producer Craig Harris said in a recent interview that technology allows companies to “export” their unique products and experiences to anyone in the world for a fraction of the cost of travel to. an appearance in person.

“It was really fun and exciting,” said Harris. “Some people just don’t understand what it takes to produce a potato until they see it.”

In addition to eliminating travel costs, Harris said virtual reality campaigns also reduce the environmental cost of travel. He added that virtual tours can also prevent disease transmission from farm to farm.

Wade went on to say that in addition to wowing buyers by using an unusual marketing strategy, the efforts of the Potato Board shed light on “the work being done by Canadian growers behind the scenes.” .

“As a proud Canadian retailer committed to working with Canadian producers, it’s amazing to see this kind of innovation coming from our Canadian partners,” wrote Wade.

This The Canadian Press report was first published on November 30, 2021 and was produced with the financial assistance of Facebook and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.