Famous Sweet Onion Tying In with Universal Music Group Nashville for Promotion This May

February 25, 2011

Vidalia, GA. February 15, 2011. America’s #1 sweet onion, the Vidalia® onion, and Universal Music Group Nashville are collaborating for a promotional event that celebrates the Southern sweetie and country music. Vidalia onions and country music share a Deep South heritage. The slogan for the promotional campaign is “American Favorites!”

In May 2011, coinciding with the start of the Vidalia onion selling season, the Vidalia® Onion Committee will conduct a search for the perfect musical lyrics in the first ever Vidalia Onion Jingle Contest. At the same time, the Vidalia Onion Committee will be offering free music downloads where consumers will be able to choose from over 400,000 songs in the Universal Music catalog.

“Country music and Vidalia onions do share a Southern heritage” said Wendy Brannen, Vidalia Onion Committee Executive Director. She explains, “And, yet with country music’s explosive growth in popularity, and with Vidalia onions’ coast-to-coast distribution, it makes sense from a national marketing perspective.”

“Country Music and Vidalia Onions are both proud products of the South that are enjoyed by folks from all over the country, so it was a natural fit,” said Tom Lord, Vice President of Marketing for Universal Music Group Nashville.

Some of country music’s biggest stars will be featured on the different Vidalia onion marketing materials, including:

• Vince Gill – Vince Gill is a Country Music Hall of Fame member with 18 Country Music Association (CMA) awards, including two Entertainer of the Year awards and 20 Grammy® Awards, the most of any male Country artist.

• Billy Currington – Billy is a Georgia native who has sold over 11 million units (albums, tracks, mobile), has had ten top 10 singles and has had six #1 singles including “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right,” “People Are Crazy” and “Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer.”

• Gary Allan – Gary was named “country music’s mainstream maverick,” by Rolling Stone magazine. Gary has sold over six million albums, released ten top 10 singles and four #1 hits, including “Watching Airplanes,” “Tough Little Boys” and “Nothing On But The Radio.”

• Ashton Shepherd – Ashton is country’s authentic honky-tonk darling. She stormed on to the country scene with her debut album SOUNDS SO GOOD featuring her singles “Takin’ Off This Pain” and the title-track smash “Sounds So Good.” The new single “Look It Up” was just released in January and is already a top 30 hit.

For the Vidalia Onion Jingle Contest, consumers will be asked to submit videos with songs that include references to Vidalia onions. For information on the Jingle Contest, consumers will be asked to visit Vidaliaonion.org. The grand prize winner of the Jingle Contest will win a VIP trip to Nashville, Tenn. for two nights. The trip includes a VIP Backstage Pass with special privileges at a number of top Nashville destinations.

Consumers will also be able to visit the Vidalia onion website and have the opportunity to download not only country music, but thousands of other songs from Universal Music.
The Vidalia Onion Committee will support the country music promotion with a broad marketing program, including:

• On-bag promotional bursts
• Major point-of-sale support for thousands of stores
• Print advertising in magazines including Country Weekly and OK!
• Vidalia onion country micro-site, featuring the Vidalia Onion Music Shop for downloads
• Trade advertising
• Retail newsletter
• Circular artwork
• Retailer display contest
• Radio support, both on stations and in stores

This Vidalia onion country music promotion is a follow-up to last year’s award-winning Shrek promotion tied in with DreamWorks Animation. That Shrek promotional campaign helped Vidalia onions achieve tremendous sales results, and it garnered massive publicity, including features in the Wall Street Journal, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer and Fox Business.

The Vidalia Onion Committee was established in 1989 as Federal Marketing Order No. 955. The order authorizes production research, marketing research and development, and marketing promotion programs. The VOC administers the order locally and consists of eight producer members and their alternates and one public member and an alternate. More information about the Vidalia onion industry may be obtained at VidaliaOnion.org.

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