Programs & Teams

The Board of Directors oversee all aspects of the board’s activities, including setting policies and deciding how the board’s budget is invested in promotion, research and education programs. The full Board of Directors is divided into committees. The President appoints each Member to a committee. The standing committees include:

• Executive
• Research
• Communications
• Marketing
• Foodservice

In addition, a Board Member can be appointed to an ad hoc committee, which is formed for a specific purpose and dissolves when the issue has been resolved. Committees save the Board time by being the specialist in their area. The committee works out details and decides what programs will be implemented.

Executive Committee (also see By-Laws Article VI)

The Executive Committee is responsible for developing policy, budget and the overall administrative duties of the Board. The Executive Committee is made up of producer, handler and importer members. Each district selects one member annually to serve on the Executive Committee. The President and 1st Vice President are selected from the Executive Committee by vote of the Full Board. The President appoints the Secretary/Treasurer.

Research Committee

The Research Committee is responsible for developing and implementing research to help the promotion and education programs (Attitude & Usage Studies, Retail Scan Data, Menu Trend Research, etc.), health and nutrition research, and other topics supporting the promotion of watermelon. The President appoints the Research Committee members and Chairperson. A liaison from the National Watermelon Association and scientific community advisors are invited to sit on the Research Committee.

Communications Committee

The Communications Committee is responsible for consumer education and communicating watermelon’s health, value, sustainability, and versatility messaging year-round. Watermelon information and key messaging is communicated through digital and social media platforms across the Watermelon.org website and Watermelon Board social media channels every week of the year to inspire seasonal and solution-oriented watermelon usage at home, reaching 20M impressions annually. Watermelon is advertised to consumers through programmatic ads in podcasts, streaming TV and Google ads, and is positioned and promoted to target audiences that include health professionals/dietitians, teachers/educators, and media/content creators. Influencers and expert partners promote watermelon recipes, health and happiness benefits to diverse

audiences ranging from fitness pros and dietitians to families and NASCAR fans, both online through social media and through in-person events.

Marketing Committee

The Marketing Committee is responsible for the creation and execution of a marketing campaign that targets both retail and international markets. Retail marketing efforts primarily focus on reaching key shoppers and household decision makers through retail activations that include digital retail programs, regional retail collaborations and in-store merchandising efforts designed to influence consumer choices at every stage of their purchasing journey. In addition, the retail program extends its reach by providing retail education outreach through online learning modules and tradeshow participation. International marketing efforts focus on exploring export marketing opportunities through the USDA Market Access Program and inspiring new and existing watermelon consumers to purchase U.S.-grown watermelon in those export markets through consumer, retail and foodservice programs.

Foodservice Committee

The Foodservice Committee is responsible for developing and implementing an effective foodservice marketing campaign. This includes outreach to culinary, marketing, purchasing and operations decision-makers. Foodservice Media such as Nation’s Restaurant News, reach foodservice with watermelon education and inspiration through earned and paid media messages throughout the year. Industry events such as the Flavor Experience provide the opportunity to showcase watermelon’s versatility and fill the Board’s pipeline with contacts, such as Aramark and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Promotions with brands such as First Watch and ideation sessions with chains such as Wendy’s, can lead to ongoing watermelon menu usage. Lastly, culinary school outreach influences the chefs of tomorrow. The ultimate goal is to place more watermelon on foodservice menus to move more watermelon through the supply chain and place more watermelon messages in front of consumers. Nearly 70% of consumers told us foodservice experience has an impact on consumer retail purchase.

Note: These committees are made up of watermelon producer, handler and importer members. The committees consist of 6-8 members. The President appoints the committee members and chairperson.

The programs are managed and supported by a group of industry experts in their segments.