Don’t Move Citrus Campaign
Highlights
128 million
total touchpoints
4.7 million
total advertising impressions
153
earned media placements
Opportunity
To raise the level of awareness among California residents about their role in preventing the spread of a deadly citrus pest and disease, NST developed and executed an integrated communications campaign on behalf of client Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program (CPDPP), a program administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. By leveraging the resurgence of post-pandemic summer travel in 2021 as a reminder to avoid moving citrus plants and material around the state, NST was able to create a sense of urgency among California residents to avoid the dangers of transporting backyard-grown citrus.
Approach
To inform its targeted outreach, NST identified where the dangerous pest called the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and the deadly citrus tree disease it can spread, Huanglongbing (HLB) was prevalent throughout the state, and identified Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Imperial and Fresno counties as primary targets, in addition to areas of Sacramento, San Francisco, Bakersfield.
The team worked with CPDPP to refine campaign messaging and materials to ensure they would engage diverse audiences throughout the state, resonate with homeowners and convey an easy-to-understand ask with a targeted messaging strategy, advertisements, and a localized earned media approach. Tactics included:
- Out-of-Home Advertising – Billboards were placed in Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties along main travel corridors in key citrus growing regions where it is crucial for residents and travelers to avoid moving citrus to prevent spreading ACP or HLB into neighborhoods near commercial citrus groves.
- Terrestrial Radio – Radio ads were placed in Santa Barbara, Fresno and Imperial counties in English and Spanish and emphasized the importance of not moving citrus throughout the state.
- Streaming Audio – Ad placements on Pandora, which included a custom script and artwork, aired in the Los Angeles and San Bernardino/Riverside areas to target areas where HLB has been detected.
- Social Media Advertising – Social media video ads targeted at Sacramento, San Francisco, Bakersfield, Fresno, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego and Santa Barbara DMAs were implemented to re-enforce the don’t move citrus messages in key metro areas.
- Earned Media Outreach – Tailored pitches and press materials were developed to target English and Spanish news outlets throughout California stressing the importance of not moving citrus as post-pandemic summer travel increased.
Outcome
The integrated communications campaign generated more than 128 million total touchpoints throughout the state of California, bringing far-reaching visibility to the dangers of moving citrus during the summer travel season. Through the NST-led advertising efforts, three billboards garnered more than 3,600,000 estimated impressions, radio ads generated more than 300,000 estimated impressions, traditional radio ads totaled more than 650,000 estimated impressions and Facebook ads added an additional 139,000 impressions.
Over 12 months, NST generated 153 unique earned media stories, exceeding client expectations and successfully educating a broad representation of California residents.
Services Provided
Media Relations, Advertising