Del Monte bringing back ‘Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” promotion

Del Monte bringing back ‘Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” promotion


By Press Release
August 09, 2011

Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc., based in Coral Gables, FL, is bringing back its “Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” promotion and will hold its second annual on-line contest this fall.



Designed to encourage school teachers of grades kindergarten through 12 grade to incorporate healthy eating and living messages into classroom activities, the promotion awards teachers with cash to purchase school supplies and fresh fruit for their classrooms.



The on-line contest is supported by a fully integrated marketing campaign targeting teachers, parents, PTA and PTO groups, and produce retailers.



“The “Teacher Monday” promotion was a tremendous success last year,” Dennis Christou, vice president of marketing-North America for Del Monte, said in a press release. “Not only did it allow us to directly interact with our consumers, it enabled us to introduce many students, some for the first time, to delicious fresh produce. This falls right in line with our mission to get consumers to heat and live healthier.”



“Teacher Monday” is an on-line contest housed on www.fruits.com, where consumers can vote for their favorite teacher. To be eligible to win, teachers must first register and submit a short essay on how they will incorporate healthy eating messages into classroom activities, then encourage all their fans to vote for them on-line. Ten winners will be selected each Monday for six consecutive weeks in October and November. Winners are based solely on the number of votes they receive.



Winning teachers will receive $750 in cash to purchase school supplies and $250 in Del Monte fresh produce coupons for classroom snacks and to use in fruit educational activities. Many of the winners will also get a Del Monte Fresh Field Day event for their school in which the entire student body will enjoy a day of Del Monte fresh produce, games and fun activities.



Winning North American schools will also be linked with schools in countries where Del Monte grows its fruit to help further the education of students by introducing them to another culture. Global schools will also receive $1,000 each for school supplies and improvements. This allows Del Monte to reinforce its commitment to give back to its employees, their families and the communities that are an integral part of the company’s growing operations worldwide.



Finally, as part of Del Monte’s commitment to the Let’s Move Salad Bars to School program, the company will donate 10 salad bars to schools in cooperation with its supermarket customers. Retailers will have an opportunity to participate in a display contest to help their local school win a salad bar.



To help drive traffic into participating supermarkets, Del Monte will hold weekly giveaways on Facebook, Twitter and with mommy bloggers to distribute $5 gift certificate booklets for “Del Monte” brand fresh produce to consumers.



Retailers are encouraged to participate in the program by using the Del Monte “Teacher Monday, Cash for Classrooms” logo in their weekly printed and on-line advertising. Retailers can also get involved to help their local schools win by creating awareness in the community through e-newsletters, web sites, Facebook pages and by placing Teacher Monday point-of-sale displays in their produce departments.



Del Monte has also begun to use on-pack stickers to alert shoppers about the promotion. Promotional stickers appear on grapes, bananas, avocados, melons, pineapples and tomatoes. Colorful point-of-sale materials will be available for display in produce departments and public relations, radio promotions, social marketing, online advertising and local events will all support the “Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” campaign.