ARLINGTON, VA – USA Rice partnered with Zojirushi America, the domestic branch of the high-end appliance manufacturer, to celebrate National Rice Month (NRM) and promote increased grain consumption through a high-profile social media campaign.
Sixteen influencers, with a combined following of more than 3.5 million consumers, took part in the NRM promotion with content that included recipe development and giveaways. They also reviewed Zojirushi’s new Induction Heating Rice Cooker as well as different varieties of U.S.-grown rice.
Each post included promotion of September as NRM, USA Rice talking points, information on the benefits of cooking rice with induction heating, and discount codes for the purchase of a rice cooker. The influencers received an IH Rice Cooker from Zojirushi, a 16-pound domestic rice variety sampler, and NRM branded items from USA Rice.
“Every National Rice Month presents a great opportunity to promote consumption of rice and highlight the benefits of having a rice cooker to more and more consumers,” said Zojirushi spokesperson Krista Erickson. “By teaming up with USA Rice to promote NRM and spotlight the newest rice cooking technology, we hope to chip away at any lingering concerns around cooking rice, and encourage and inspire more ways to ‘rice’ and greater usage of U.S.-grown rice.”
There also was a charitable component to the promotion: for each rice cooker sold during September, a donation was made to
Table For Two, a non-profit organization whose mission is to eliminate global hunger and reduce health issues related to unhealthy eating.
“Our collaboration with Zojirushi allows USA Rice to reach even more consumers in celebration of NRM and further broadcast the U.S.-grown difference while promoting a product that eliminates consumer stress around cooking rice,” said Cameron Jacobs, USA Rice senior director of domestic promotion.
Activated influencers for the joint NRM campaign include: Alexander Trimm of @chefalextrim; Toni Okamoto of @plantbasedonabudget; Maggie Zhu of @omnivorescookbook; Stefan Ng of @shaunson_explains; Michael Tchao of @michaeltchao; Matt Broussard of @acooknamedmatt; Chef Hari Cameron of @haricam, Gal Shua-Haim of @somethingnutritious, Maggie Wu of @magsspicedkitchen; Kay Liu of @fationatefoodbelly; Molly Baz of @mollybaz; Tawnie Graham of @krolls_korner; and Andy Mathis of @beautifuleatsandthings.