NestFresh harnesses social media for its seasonal giving campaign

13-Dec-2016 - Last updated on 13-Dec-2016 at 17:01 GMT

Colorado-based egg company NestFresh’s campaign is a case study of rolling online consumer engagement, seasonal promotion, and giving back all in one.

There are many ways companies can give back to the community; some may set up special organizations or funds, others may vouch to donate a percentage of their sales.

For NestFresh, a specialty egg company distributed in 50 chains nationwide as well as independent markets through a number of regional and nationwide distributors, it lets its consumers and social media followers vote for where the charity money goes throughout the holiday season.

“The way we think about it is we’re part of all these different communities—we work with farms all over the country, we have end-packing plants all over the country, we have customers all over the country—so we feel like a national company but we’re really tied to all these different communities across the country,” marketing manager Brandy Gamoning told FoodNavigator-USA.

“We really wanted to engage with the folks in those communities, and invite them to participate,” she added. “We really wanted the people in these communities to tell us who ‘the good eggs’ in their communities are.”

From farm to fork image

As consumers, regulators and the industry continue to debate what ubiquitous marketing adjectives like healthy or natural mean, analysts are seeing brands rely more on agricultural claims as a sweet spot to attract consumers.

According to Gamoning, with claims such as certified cage-free, pasture-raised, and non-GMO free range already part of its portfolio, the NestFresh Cares concept emphasizes the company’s close ties with farmers and local communities.

Starting last November, the company opened up charity nominations from their Facebook followers. Finalists for a $1,500 cash prize include the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Texas, Denver Food Rescue, and Women’s Bean Project.

Up until Dec. 15, NestFresh’s social media followers can vote for one of the finalists on a specially created tab on the company’s Facebook page.

A bonus is that it adds to the company’s transparency effort. “By opening up the process to consumers, a lot of the transparency and authenticity comes with allowing consumers to be part of the process,” Gamoning added.