Innovative New Zealand apple company Rockit Global Limited, recognised across the world for its miniature Rockit™ apple variety, was in Hong Kong last week to accept an award. Rockit™ is the recipient of the Asia Fruit Award – Marketing Campaign of the Year for 2019. The company’s General Manager Global Marketing, Sandi Boyden, says it’s a huge thrill to have been acknowledged for the impact Rockit™ has had within Asia’s fresh fruit and vegetable sector, principally in China, which now accounts for around 50 percent of Rockit’s global sales. “It’s particularly exciting because this was the first year Rockit™ had exhibited at Asia Fruit Logistica’s three-day expo,” says Sandi. Rockit™ joined approximately 800 other exhibitors at the show, which attracts over 13,000 trade visitors annually and kicked off with the Asia Fruit Awards at an international business congress event. Rockit Global Limited CEO Austin Mortimer says the Rockit team is incredibly proud of the company’s ongoing presence in China, and that the award is recognition of a successful multi-layered campaign in this market. “Rockit™ spent considerable effort in 2018 and 2019 tailoring its messaging to ensure cut-through in China’s competitive fresh fruit market, and it has netted some great results,” says Austin. “We worked with a Chinese agency to help us align our story, tell it effectively and engage with our key customers in a meaningful way. Feedback has been incredibly positive, from customers – who love our delicious, miniature, fully mature fruit – to retailers, who saw the campaign brought to life through clever brand positioning, all in Mandarin.” 
The campaign included a wide range of promotional activities, including marketing activity focused around Children’s Day on 1 June. Two “store takeovers” saw Rockit™ create an apple theme in Pagoda fruit stores and the company also created an opportunity to retail online through the New Zealand Food Basket alliance. 
Asia Fruit Awards judges praised Rockit for executing a campaign that appealed directly to the target demographics of mums and children, as well as busy young professionals, and commended the tagline Rockit™ developed for the Chinese market – which roughly translates to “this little goodness you can hold”. John Hey of ASIAFRUIT magazine said the dynamic campaign helped to position Rockit™ apples as “an aspirational lifestyle brand”. Says Sandi, “Ensuring that your brand stands out in a crowded market such as China is always a challenge. This award is fantastic recognition of a brand message that was tailored based on market and consumer insight to really resonate with Chinese consumers and was executed well across a range of channels.”
