F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9 POTATO GROWER 7 and impact the way in which perform- ance athletes train and eat. As the Official Performance Vegetable and Event Partner of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, Potatoes USA is reach- ing hundreds of thousands of competi- tive athletes and race day spectators via both digital and physical activations. Potatoes USA has engaged with athletes at three races, in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Antonio, with a fourth to hap- pen in San Francisco in April. The acti- vation includes two days of athlete edu- cation and potato sampling at the pre- race Health & Fitness Expo, as well as an interactive “What Are You Eating?” photo booth at the post-race Finish Line Festival. Feedback from athletes has been very positive, with many con- sumers being excited to learn about the performance benefits of potatoes. To reach competitive athletes with com- pelling and engaging performance-for- ward potato messaging, Potatoes USA is running paid advertising across several platforms and media vehicles, inclusive of social media on Facebook and Instagram. The “What Are You Eating?” campaign encourages athletes to re-eval- uate the foods they are using to fuel themselves. The campaign consists of a series of videos depicting athletes com- peting in running, cycling and soccer while fueling with potatoes to perform at their best. In addition to the videos, there are many messages running across social media with compelling nutrition and preparation information to inspire athletes to fuel with potatoes. As part of the overarching Potatoes Fuel Performance strategy, Potatoes USA partnered with leading publications; Triathlete, Women’s Running and Competitive Running to inspire and educate competitive athletes on how and why they should fuel with potatoes to achieve their personal best. This part- nership, which includes online advertis- ing, articles, video content and email marketing is being driven by two key influencers, Dr. Allan Lim and Jessica Cerra, both accomplished cyclists. Dr. Allen Lim is a sports scientist and coach for elite U.S. cycling teams, as well as the founder of Skratch Labs, a leading sports nutrition company. Jess Cerra is a pro- fessional cyclist, exercise physiologist and sport nutritionist who not only competes at the highest level, but also works professionally to create nutri- tious, high-performance food for ath- letes. Both Allen and Jess created a series of videos highlighting potato preparations that are running across the publications’ sites as well as social media. Potatoes USA has also officially launched Team Potato, a community of athletes who train and compete fueled by potatoes. Each team member receives a Team Potato Welcome Kit in the mail with instructions for continued partici- pation. Ongoing sharing of their Team Potato athletic experiences on social media earns participants Team Potato gear as they continue to “level up”. Industry members are encouraged to join Team Potato as well. Through these activities, Potatoes USA is changing the way many consumers think about potatoes and increasing potato consumption for athletic per- formance. But to truly make an impact and have potatoes recognized as the per- formance vegetable, the rest of the pota- to industry must get involved and pro- mote; Potatoes. Real Food. Real Perfor- mance. To find out how you can get involved go to the What Are You Eating hub on PotatoesUSA. com; Growers.Potatoes USA.com/ what-are-you-eating. NORTH VALLEY EQUIPMENT 800.833.0705 | 1809 Hwy 81 S Grafton, ND | LOCKWOODMFG.com 674EX HARVESTER PLANTING | HARVESTING | HANDLING