Recently my attention was caught by this egg timer bought by Sara. So what is so snazzy about this egg timer, you may be asking; after all, what is so hard about boiling an egg?
It goes IN the pot, dear readers.
And, it got Sara and I thinking: how could something like this be used to benefit fresh produce marketing.
How great would this be for, say, boiling potatoes? Are they new pototoes, or do I want them boiled for mashing, or maybe parboiled in preparation for roasting… imagine the traction potatoes could get utilising one of these in a “Cooking for Dummies” ad campaign. And that would go for all sorts of other vegetables, too. Plus, there is the marketing hook that the modern human loves gadgets. I could see teenagers liking this – I wonder if there is an app for that?
One of the biggest barriers facing a consumer of fresh produce is “when is this piece of fruit ready for me to eat?” If they can not be sure, then they tend not to buy it – and certainly they won’t attempt to cook it.
The industry has already shown that it can pursue innovation in this area – remember ripeSense? What else can the fresh produce industry do to give the consumer to confidence to buy more produce, more often?
In the meantime, Sara, our Iraqi Kiwi with her eye for gadgets, her penchant for travel and her mastery of our facebook, twitter, linkedin and webmarketing affairs can be relied upon to discuss the next ‘very useful’ innovation in a matter of weeks. We will keep you posted.
The AgriChain Centre is committed to the Horticulture New Zealand 10/2020 Strategy and enhancing the marketing effectiveness of the New Zealand produce industry.
Education is an important business tool for the future and therefore, The AgriChain Centre, in partnership with its sister company IMCA New Zealand Ltd, is launching scholarships to the Executive Diploma in Produce Marketing course.
The opportunity currently exists for enrolment into the IMCA Executive Diploma in Produce Marketing course which is due to commence in January 2011. This course offers New Zealand fresh produce industry managers the opportunity to obtain skills and knowledge specific to the industry.
The Diploma in Produce Marketing is an eighteen-month, in-post, Action Learning programme based around an organisation’s key issues related to the marketing of fresh produce. Participants will gain valuable knowledge by researching and acting upon real issues faced by their organisation.
The topics covered during the course are:
- Marketing Management,
- Marketing Analysis and Decision-Making,
- Marketing Planning and Implementation, as well as
- Marketing Communications.
Course delivery is substantially Internet based and complemented by Auckland based tutorials. Tutorials are normally carried out at six weekly intervals and planned several months in advance.
The course investment is typically NZ$ 8,000 (plus GST) per Associate, however, if you are fortunate enough to be awarded an AgriChain Centre Scholarship, 50% of the fees will be met, making the course investment only $4,000 (plus GST).
Associates will become associate members of the International Management Centres Association, The Global Action Learning Business School and will gain access to IMCA’s online business library, containing some 1,200 fully searchable management and business journals.
The investment in time varies, based on the degree of integration between an Associate’s course requirements and his/her ability to relate those to the workplace environment and activities. On average, Associates should work on the basis of an eight-hour per week time commitment in addition to the face to face tutorial sessions.
This Diploma is suitable for growers involved in management, service company account managers, produce retailers and brokerage marketing staff. In other words, managers working in a produce business who are used to making decisions. There is no requirement for Associates to have any specific prior qualifications. A commitment to the produce industry, an open mind, a willingness to learn, Internet access and the ability to use Microsoft Office products are pre-requisites.
If you require any further information or wish to apply for a scholarship please contact Dr Hans Maurer or Debbie Woods on Tel: 09-414-4536, e-mail dwoods@agrichain-centre.com.
Visit www.imcassociation.edu for further general information.
Scholarship places are limited, prompt applications are therefore essential.