Cross-promotions are popular with berry marketers.

For Watsonville, Calif.-based Driscoll’s, summer is the perfect time for customized in-store cross-promotions.

“We do customized programs based on how consumers use berries during the summer months,” said Frances Dillard, director of marketing.

“Everyone loves berries, and summer is the perfect time to create powerful in-store promotions for this high-performing category,” Dillard said in an e-mail.

Many of the programs began around July 4 and will run through the summer.

Each sweepstakes campaign includes a grand prize, which is determined by how consumers are interacting with berries at home.

Some examples of these cross-promotional giveaways include ice cream makers or blenders for making smoothies and other popular berry treats, both of which allow consumers to use berries more on a day-to-day basis.

“Marketers really understand how people are using berries in everyday life, and we try to create programs that reflect the role berries play,” Dillard said.

Retailers play an important part of these cross-promotional campaigns with e-mail, social media and other forms of communication such as weekly ads.

Driscoll’s uses quick-response codes for easy entry, and they’ve seen a lot of interest in these campaigns.

“The thousands of entries we’ve received to date have made these customized retail programs a success not only for us but for our retail partners. A deeper relationship with our berry consumers is important to us,” Dillard said.

Others agree that in-store cross-promotions are effective.

Kyla Garnett, marketing manager for Naturipe Farms LLC, Estero, Fla., says the company has had success with partnerships in the past.

The company has partnered with Reddi-Wip for the summer again this year.

Naturipe has joined with Reddi-Wip for the past couple of years for a promotion on pint-sized blueberries and 1-pound strawberries, offering a coupon when consumers purchase both products.

This promotion is especially effective around Independence Day because of the red, white and blue color combination.

“There’s no better visual than using blueberries and strawberries with Reddi-Wip or ice cream for fun Fourth of July recipes,” Garnett said.

Longer-term collaborations are also effective.

Naturipe partnered with the California Avocado Commission earlier this year for the “Wake Up to Breakfast with California Avocados” promotion.

Photo: Courtesy Driscoll´s

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