Evaluation Summary. Four Studies Conducted for the Partnership for a Healthier America's Fruits & Veggies (FNV) Campaign in California and Virginia, 2015-2017

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2018-02
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Department Of Human Nutrition, Foods, And Exercise
Abstract

This evaluation summary provides brief descriptions of four studies funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to evaluate the Partnership for a Healthier America’s (PHA’s) branded FNV (Fruits & Veggies) Campaign that was launched in two pilot cities or test locations—Fresno in the Central Valley region of California and the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia in 2015. The PHA designed the FNV Campaign as a new brand to increase the sales and consumption of all forms of fruits and vegetables (e.g., fresh, canned, dried and frozen) to reach Millennial moms, ages 21 to 34 years, and Generation Z teens, ages 15 to 20 years, in the two test locations. The PHA also explored how the FNV Campaign could reach racially, ethnically and culturally diverse populations. During phase one of the FNV Campaign (May 2015 to September 2016), the PHA reported the Campaign as a $5 million dollar/year that used commercial and behavioral branding principles and integrated marketing communication (IMC) strategies to raise awareness and encourage fruit and vegetable sales and intake among targeted populations in the two test locations. Commercial businesses often use IMC strategies in campaigns that combine advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, sponsorships, celebrity endorsement, and point-of-purchase in retail settings across different communication platforms to build brand awareness and loyalty among targeted groups for products, services and ideas. In September 2015, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided a grant to a research team in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia to conduct a multi-faceted and independent evaluation of the FNV Campaign in the two pilot locations of Fresno, California and Hampton Roads, Virginia during phase one. This report summarizes the results of four studies that comprise an independent evaluation of the FNV Campaign conducted between September 2015 and December 2017. During phase two of the FNV Campaign (October 2016 to the present), the PHA announced the FNV Campaign’s expansion to 13 states and cities. These locations included: Fresno, Los Angeles and San Francisco, California; Boise, Idaho; Dallas, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Mason City, Iowa; Syracuse, New York; Washington, DC; Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts; Norfolk/Hampton Roads, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; and Madison, Wisconsin. By May 2017, the PHA had reported more than 25 public- and private-sector partners who supported the FNV Campaign. These included partnerships with state health departments and USDA Cooperative Extension offices in California, Colorado, Georgia and Wisconsin to reach participants in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and SNAP-Education (SNAP-Ed) to encourage fruits and vegetables. We anticipate that the collective findings from this evaluation will be useful as the PHA and partners aim to expand, scale up and sustain the FNV Campaign in other states and nationwide.

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