News and Notes

Almost every brand wants to be an “experience” for consumers, but few can bring that experience to life in a literal way. That’s what Turkey Hill Dairy did when it transformed an abandoned 19th century silk mill into a 26,000-square-foot family attraction just a few miles from its Lancaster County headquarters.

The new visitor destination, called the Turkey Hill Experience, celebrated its grand opening this past weekend, and Pavone was on hand to help our longtime client make the most of the occasion.

Anyone who visits the Experience will no doubt be impressed with the multisensory adventures within, plus the homage it pays to Lancaster County and Turkey Hill’s ice cream and iced tea-making processes. Judging by how seamless the tour is, visitors might even be inclined to think it all came together easily. Far from it. Converting a shell of a building that had been vacant for 25 years into an interactive tourist destination required years of forethought, planning and, with a little help from Pavone, a boatload of marketing.

But like an ice cream sundae loaded with toppings, it all came together in the end and made a lot of people happy.

At just over 1,000 square feet – roughly the size of half a tennis court – the Capitol Hunger Garden definitely isn’t the biggest garden in Pennsylvania, but its objective is nothing short of monumental. That’s because its purpose is to raise awareness of the growing issue of hunger in Pennsylvania. It’s also being used to raise money for the 21 food banks across the Commonwealth.

In 2010, the plot of land located just off the governor’s entrance to the state Capitol in Harrisburg yielded enough tomatoes, peppers and onions (thanks to the hard work of more than 100 green-thumbed volunteers) to create more than 1,400 jars of Capitol Hunger Garden Salsa. The salsa is being offered at pahungergarden.org for a minimum donation of $25 per jar.

Pavone became involved with the Hunger Garden through our ongoing work with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. Several months ago, the Pennsylvania Legislative Hunger Caucus (a group of state legislators who work to raise awareness about the issue of hunger in Pennsylvania) asked us to design the label for the salsa as well as the website being used to promote it. More recently, the Pavone PR team was called upon to coordinate a media event to kick off the garden’s 2011 season and jump-start the public sale of the salsa.  Read more...

Pavone recently released its annual collection of the top trends today’s food and beverage marketers are contending with. The report includes a focus on how consumers are taking “gourmet shortcuts” to prepare meals, how they make purchasing decisions, and which group of consumers marketers should pay more attention to in the coming years (Hint: It’s not moms).

The trend report has received a lot of attention in the few months since it’s been released. To date, our food trends team has presented the findings to dozens of food and beverage companies with more bookings expected throughout the summer. Food and beverage media, like Gourmet News, have also taken notice with recent coverage of the report.

The third annual trend report is based on in-depth research, analysis and contributions from leaders in the manufacturing, innovation, academic and agricultural areas of the food and beverage industries. Members of the Pavone food trends team are available to give in-depth presentations of the trends, either in person or via webinar. To schedule a presentation or to obtain more information about the trends report, contact Mary Lorson at 717-234-8886 or mlorson@pavone.net.

A month long campaign by Pavone and Hoss’s Steak and Sea House to collect donations for local food banks has concluded, and the results could fill a buffet capable of feeding thousands of hungry families.

The March 6 through April 3 food drive, united under the theme “When you eat at Hoss’s, a hungry family eats too,” encouraged customers to donate a canned good at any of Hoss’s 38 locations in exchange for a free pint of soup to go (with a food purchase). More than 6,000 canned goods were collected during the four-week effort and passed on to food banks throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The campaign included radio, print and online advertising supported by statewide public relations outreach. Sales at theall 38 Hoss’s locations were up more than two percent during the promotion.

“To say that we’re pleased with the results of this campaign would be an understatement,” said Hoss’s founder and CEO Bill Campbell. “We’ve known for years how rewarding it is to donate to food banks and help feed hungry families, and now our customers know that feeling, too. That’s a big part of what makes this effort so special.”  Read more...

If you live in Pennsylvania, you’re probably familiar with Hoss’s Steak & Sea House. The family-style restaurant has 36 locations statewide and is well known for its all-you-can-eat buffet.

What most people don’t realize is that while Hoss’s does a good job of feeding hungry families inside its restaurants, it does an equally good job of feeding hungry families in the communities it serves. That commitment to serving the community is the basis of a new campaign created by the Pavone and Hoss’s teams designed to fight hunger by partnering with local food banks and collecting donations at each Hoss’s location.

Between March 6 and April 3, diners who bring a canned or nonperishable food item to any Hoss’s restaurant will take home a pint of one of Hoss’s homemade soups featured that day, and the canned item will be donated to a local food bank. The effort will be promoted with a statewide public relations blitz and supported by radio, print and online advertising.

All in all, it’s a simple plan with a simple premise: “When you eat at Hoss’s, a hungry family eats, too.” Hard to argue with that. As for which soup you should take home as a reward for your generosity, that’s up to you, but there’s a good reason the Hoss’s chicken noodle is the only variety served daily.