Billboard ads have a big impact
Sep 25, 2020
WEST BANK, ISRAEL – After putting marketing activities on hold earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that restricted consumer movement, USA Rice is back with more socially distanced advertising on radio and billboards in different regions here including Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, Jerusalem, and Jenin.
“We partnered with three local U.S. rice brands that contributed 30 percent of the total cost of the campaign, boosting the project’s scope,” said Eszter Somogyi, USA Rice director for Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
USA Rice initiated promotional activities here for the first time in 2019, working in close cooperation with local importers and utilizing Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) funding to increase market share for U.S. rice.
“The absence of Australian rice in the market in 2020, due to that country’s limited supply, provided us with a unique opportunity and, with the increased promotional support, U.S. rice sales here grew substantially,” said Somogyi.
Based on recent U.S. rice export statistics published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. rice sales to the West Bank/Israel totaled 23,800 MT in the period January through July 2020 with a value of $23.7 million, a 96 percent increase in volume and a 114 percent increase in value as compared to the same period in 2019. Israel is currently the U.S.'s tenth largest export market based on value.
U.S. rice sales in the region for 2019 were 19,900 MT, compared with just 10,400 MT in 2018, showing strong positive development in this market.