NOFA-VT has two open RFPs for projects in the coming year to support direct markets. These are exciting opportunities for marketing professionals in the food system world. Please take a look, and share them with someone you think might be a good fit. The deadline to submit your proposal is January 25, 2017.
Questions? Contact Erin Buchwalter at [email protected] or 434-4122.
Trends and Models Influencing VT’s Direct Markets
Project Description - This project will look to organizations, such as GrowNYC, which provides the vendors at their Greenmarket farmers markets with strategic marketing support , which helps the farmers understand how to display their products, where to place their signage, and more. The project will utilize the body of retail anthropology research in order to attract consumers and provide information about market trends to our direct markets. We will also interview direct market farmers and farmers market leaders with marketing innovations to assess how they see direct markets changing, how they’re measuring those changes, and what information they gather to inform their business decisions. Lastly, this project will research innovative direct to consumer models nationally to inform Vermont’s direct market farms and farmers markets on trends and new models they may adopt into their business and marketing strategies in order to meet consumer demands.
RFP: Trends and Models Influencing VT’s Direct Markets »
Direct Markets Marketing Campaign Project
Project Description – A decade ago, direct markets were the primary place where consumers could purchase local foods. Now, we are increasingly seeing competition not only from within direct markets, but from a wide range of retailers too. In order to continue to grow the direct market sales, we need to develop a comprehensive marketing plan with professional materials and well crafted messages that resonate with Vermont consumers. In order to make sure that the messages in the campaign resonate with Vermonters, different messaging options will be tested in interviews/surveys with Vermont consumers. The desired outcome of this statewide campaign will be both to increase the purchases of existing directmarket shoppers, and expand the number of consumers who are shopping in direct markets, with the ultimate result of growing direct market sales statewide. We will use a variety of print and media resources, from posters and stickers to radio, newspaper, and social media to try and engage as many consumers as possible. We will also include on-farm events in our marketing campaign.
RFP: Direct Markets Marketing Campaign Project »