TX1015 Sweet Onion Returns to Shelves, Boosting Consumer Engagement Through Creative Campaigns and Events
The recent season for the Texas Onion Industry has been both exciting and successful, with a strong consumer response to the TX1015 Sweet Onion’s return to the market. Eager to include this beloved vegetable in their meals, consumers have shown great enthusiasm for its availability.
Various innovative marketing activities, such as an online social influencer program, sweepstakes, a restaurant week promotion, and a partnership with KSAT TV, have significantly boosted local support for Texas onions.
Digital marketing has played a crucial role in driving grocery sales, particularly through a targeted influencer program designed to reach millennials and younger demographics. The program featured recipe developers, authors, and bloggers who emphasized the use of local ingredients in their culinary creations. This approach resulted in substantial engagement, with total reactions, including views, likes, comments, shares, and overall engagement, reaching 343,165.
Following two years of notable success, the Third Annual Restaurant Week made a triumphant return to the Rio Grande Valley. This year, 17 food trucks and restaurants participated, crafting dishes that highlighted the TX1015 Sweet Onion. The campaign aimed to inspire culinary creativity while maintaining the unique styles of each establishment. A highlight of the event was the finale at the McAllen Food Truck Park, where attendees enjoyed local food, music, and arts, and tasted the sweet onion creations firsthand. Online promotions and public voting led to a remarkable 2,200.7% increase in brand awareness.
“Our marketing activities are created with the purpose of sparking a connection between the product and the consumer,” remarked Dante Galeazzi, President of the Texas International Produce Association. “It is imperative to tell the story of our state vegetable, and by enacting a range of well-developed and specifically targeted tactics, we are expanding the sweet onion category one layer at a time.”
In addition to these events, the Texas Onion Industry released a cookbook titled “Sweet Flavors of The Lone Star State: A TX1015 Cookbook.” This publication features trending recipes, fun facts, and educational tidbits aimed at helping the average shopper discover their inner chef. The cookbook includes a variety of dishes, from main courses to enticing snacks, showcasing the nutritious and versatile attributes of the TX1015 Sweet Onion.
For the second consecutive year, David Elder, host of Texas Eats, featured the TX1015 Sweet Onion in an on-air segment and social media posts. His content, which included historical facts, a raw onion taste test, and a new recipe, engaged both current and potential Texas shoppers. The partnership generated 52,169 social reactions, further enhancing the onion’s popularity.
On behalf of the Texas Onion Industry, Galeazzi expressed pride in this year’s campaign accomplishments. “Texas grows by more than 850 citizens per day, which is a lot of new people to introduce the TX1015 Sweet Onion to. By establishing stronger connections within major Texas and national markets, we continue to increase recognition and consumer preference, putting Texas onions in a great position for next season,” he concluded.
This year’s efforts were funded, in whole or in part, by the US Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Marketing Service under the Specialty Crop Block Grant administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
For more information, crop reports, updates, marketing tools, videos, recipes, and everything related to TX1015 Sweet Onions, visit tx1015.com. You can also sign up for the TX1015 newsletter and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Mark your calendars for more Texas 1015 sweet onions in March 2025.
