Opal Apples

An Orchard (Pop Up) Grows In NYC

Overview & Challenge

Exclusively grown in Washington state, Opal Apples are the only naturally non-browning & non-GMO apple on the market, ensuring crispness with each bite. In October 2018, CIIC was tasked with developing and executing an activation in accordance with National Apple Day/Month for one of the fasting-growing fruit brands in the U.S. Opal Apples brought its very own Opal Orchard NYC pop-up to the Big Apple, for which the brand needed to secure optimal media coverage, draw consumers to the experience, and create media buzz surrounding the activation.

Strategy

To accomplish this goal, CIIC distributed press releases and media alerts pre- and post-event. We also secured calendar listings in the tri-state area to help promote the event and encourage pre-event sign ups. In addition, CIIC was able to coordinate media interviews with the brand’s spokesperson on- and off-site with top-tier outlets including AM New York and Bloomberg. We also secured media deliveries to top-tier NY-based food, lifestyle and parenting outlets including Cosmopolitan, Food Network, Good Housekeeping, Good Morning America, and Rachael Ray to increase brand awareness and keep Opal Apples top of mind. In addition to broadcast media, CIIC confirmed a partnership with major influencer @FOMOFeed to promote Opal Orchard NYC Pop-Up, resulting in more than 2,000 event registrations. With the collaborative effort from both CIIC and Opal’s digital team, we launched and encouraged visitors to use the hashtag #OpalOrchardNYC when sharing their experiences to increase social engagement.

Some of the confirmed media attendees for the pop-up event included freelancer Kristina Vanni, Rebecca Shinners and Lauren Witonsky of Health.com, and Corinne and Beth of @FOMOFeed.