EEUU: Potato Board gets creative in Japan

U.S. exports of frozen potatoes to Japan reached $336 million in the July 2013 to June 2014 marketing year. This represented 29 percent of total U.S. frozen potato exports for that year. However, in 2014-15, for the first time ever, the volume and value of U.S. exports to Japan declined, dropping 23 percent to $259 million. On a volume basis, this was a decline of 68,470 metric tons of finished product, with a fresh weight equivalent of 2,520,848 hundredweight of raw potatoes.

There were many factors that led to this decline, but chief among them was the slowdown in operations at West Coast ports from October 2014 to February 2015. During that time, U.S. exports to Japan declined by 11 percent compared to a year earlier, while exports from Canada increased by 1 percent and 94 percent from the European Union. This shift in market share was not the whole story, as the overall market in Japan in 2014-15 also shrunk by 12 percent, as measured by exports from the major producers.

 This decline came from the continuing economic doldrums in the country, but also from the demographic and other societally driven shifts away from Western style quick-service restaurant fare in the country.In response to these lost sales, the U.S. Potato Board (USPB) representative office in Japan has developed an extensive campaign designed not only to help regain lost market share, but to increase consumption of U.S. fries as well. These efforts are being funded by usage of USPB reserves, as directed by the Board’s grower-leaders. The effort has three main components: digital signage at train and subway stations in Tokyo, an American Fried Potato Theme Park website and a social media campaign based on the 10th of every month being designated at U.S. Fries Day. 

A key component of all these promotions has been the creation of videos reminding people how much fun U.S. fries are for family and friends. This also included the development of a U.S. fries-themed song and dance that a popular teen group, ILoVU, has picked up and performed as well.The video promotes U.S. fries with messages about safety, showing U.S. growers and happy situations of people eating fries. 

The video is being shown 216 times at 19 major railway stations for a period of two weeks and 188 times at 10 major subway stations for a period of two weeks.All these efforts have been extended through social media on Facebook and other sites, through PR efforts, on the USPB Japan trade website “Potato Airlines,” and, most importantly, through in-store promotions at restaurants serving U.S. fries.