Tri-State Fruit Fly Community Awareness Program
challenge
The Tri-State Fruit Fly Community Awareness Program is a joint program between the Departments of Primary Industries in Victoria and New South Wales, Primary Industries and Resources South Australia (PIRSA), the Murray Valley Citrus Board, Riverina Citrus, the South Australian Citrus Industry Development Board and Horticulture Australia. The Tri-State Fruit Fly Community Awareness Program aims to raise awareness amongst travellers and residents in the Tri-State Fruit Fly Free Zone and buffer zone (200km around the boundary of the Zone) about the risks of fruit fly and the restrictions applying to entering the Zone with restricted produce.
The aim of this program is to stop the transportation of fruit and fruiting vegetables into the Zone and thus prevent outbreaks of fruit fly which could cost growers and the local economies both income and access to markets. This program has to effectively reach a range of disparate audiences and provide different information for different areas in and around the Zone.
solution
Drawing on the company’s previous experience and knowledge of the citrus industry in South Australia and its direct involvement in researching public attitudes towards fruit transportation regulations in South Australia, Porter Novelli developed a two-pronged communications strategy targeting visitors to the Zone and residents within the Zone. Targeting visitors involves reaching travellers at source to avoid their temptation to ignore the restrictions on arrival at the Zone, and to minimise resentment associated with them, while key messages to Zone residents focus on managing their own fruit gardens and playing a role in encouraging expected visitors to buy their fruit on arrival. The program involves tactics including the development of a dedicated web-site, providing event organisers with communication resources to include in their own promotional literature, a media program using Porter Novelli’s highly refined tailoring process to maximise impact and relevance at a local and regional level, an advertising campaign including print and broadcast media plus specialist media such as visitors guides, tourism publications and maps and special interest magazines, and literature for distribution amongst publications, accommodation venues and other relevant outlets. Porter Novelli has also provided strategic recommendations on signage, disposal facilities and other preventative measures.
results
Most of the initiatives have now been implemented. The new website provides a simple, easily accessible source of information for members of the public and is enabled for mobile use, the tailored media program has been extremely successful in gaining high levels of exposure of key messages throughout the Zone and in buffer zones, CSAs have been aired on television and radio without purchasing air time separately, print materials have been distributed in targeted publications at no charge and local communities engaged in the fight against fruit fly in their areas.