USDA DECLARES DECEMBER AS NATIONAL PEAR MONTH
Pear Bureau Northwest promotes this special holiday through social media and popular iPhone App
PORTLAND, Ore. (December 1, 2010) – Fruit lovers have yet another reason to feel festive this time of year: the USDA has made its annual declaration that December is officially National Pear Month. Pear Bureau Northwest is raising awareness about this special designation through targeted consumer outreach that will engage consumers with sweet and savory pear recipes, home décor ideas involving pears, and serving tips.
With its social media outlets for USA Pears, the Pear Bureau is celebrating the 31 days of December with daily posts on Facebook and Twitter that are centered on the National Pear Month theme. “Each day, we will dispatch a short, timely post,” says Cristie Mather, director of communications for Pear Bureau Northwest. “For example, a Wednesday night early in the month of December will promote an easy, quick entrée recipe tailored to families that are so time-strapped this time of year. As Christmas, Chanukah, and New Year’s Eve draw near, we’ll be engaging our followers with recipes appropriate for impressive entertaining, holiday décor, and tips on how to design pear gift baskets.”
The Pear Bureau will also hold weekly trivia contests on Facebook, offering a box of a dozen fresh pears to contest winners. Facebook ads will be in play during this time period, targeting millions of Facebook users who are not already following USA Pears on Facebook. Currently, USA Pears has over 2,400 fans on Facebook, and is projecting that the National Pear Month themed promotion will help increase that total by hundreds.
In addition, the Pear Bureau’s ongoing partnership with Epicurious.com continues through the month of December. The popular Epicurious iPhone App is promoting fresh pear recipes through a special recipe channel entitled “PEARfect Dishes sponsored by USA Pears” as well as through an interstitial ad that highlights that December is National Pear Month. The ad links to recipes on usapears.org, and it appears every 10th – 20th frame as users scroll through the App’s vast collection of recipes. The Epicurious iPhone App is free to download on iTunes, and it has been downloaded by over 3 millions unique users to date.
About Pear Bureau Northwest
Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh USA Pears grown in Washington and Oregon, home to 84% of the US fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents 1,600 growers and develops national and international markets for Northwest pear distribution. For more information, visit www.usapears.org and www.facebook.com/USAPears.
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Media Contact: Cristie Mather, Director of Communications, Pear Bureau Northwest
503-652-9720; cmather@usapears.com
Pear Bureau Northwest prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, political beliefs, or disability. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the Pear Bureau at (503) 652-9720.