Annual IPC Retail Display Contest to Roll Out in February
Retailers will have the chance to create imaginative tater-themed creations for the Idaho Potato Commission’s 23rd annual Potato Lover’s Month Retail Display Contest, which kicks off in February.
The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) will give out $150,000 in cash and prizes ($34,000 just in cash prizes)for the winning displays, and all participants will get a free BlueROCK wireless Bluetooth speaker with auxiliary and charging cables included.
For the second consecutive year, IPC will join forces with Hormel Real Bacon Bits, so each display must combine fresh Idaho potatoes, Idaho dehydrated potato products and Hormel Real Bacon Bits, along with special IPC point-of-sale materials: two round double-sided Potato Lover’s Month logo signs, a large and a small double-sided sign with an image of a baked potato, and two inflatable Mylar Spuddy Buddies.
“A steaming hot Idaho baked potato topped with crunchy bacon bits is the perfect winter pick-me-up for family dinners,” said Jamie Bowen, marketing manager at Eagle-based IPC. “Spicing up the produce department with an imaginative, colorful display featuring these two great tastes is a great way to turn up the heat on February sales. Our retailers have found that their Idaho potato displays really pay off for them throughout the entire produce department.”
Ingenuity on Show
Among last year’s winners were a floor-to-ceiling “castle” display guarded by Spuddy Buddies, a scaled-down version of the Great Big Idaho Potato Truck that toured the country on a promotional tour, and an “American Idol”-themed display featuring Idaho potatoes.
Retailers will vie with other same-size stores in one of three categories: One to five cash registers, six to nine cash registers, or 10-plus cash registers. Entrants within each store category are eligible to win $1,500 for first place, $1,000 for second place, $750 for third place, $500 for fourth place and $250 for fifth place.
Further, the "Category Manager Match Program" will award equivalent cash prizes to category managers at stores that qualify for a first- through fifth-place prize. One hundred displays selected from the rest of the entries will garner Honorable Mention prizes of $100 each.
Those interested in entering the contest can go online for rules and submission information. Qualifying displays must be up for at least one week between Jan. 27 and Feb. 28, 2014. An image and entry form must be received no later than March 15, and winners will be notified by May 1. The Potato Lover’s Month Display Contest Review Committee will judge entries on their use of Potato Lover’s Month signage, creativity, how the display incorporates partner products, and the perceived saleability of the display.