Envy and SunGold shine at ONE LIVE Chicago
CHICAGO— Two of New Zealand’s newest flavors hit the sweet spot at the Reebok/Les Mills ONE LIVE event, a festival of fitness drawing over 3,000 participants from North America and beyond together during the last weekend in August.
ONE LIVE delivered a health-conscious, savvy audience to the Enza and Zespri sampling stations, where hundreds of people per hour were introduced to Envy apples and SunGold Kiwifruit for the first time.
The fruit energized fitness instructors and students as they tested their stamina in class after challenging class, including BodyPump™, BodyCombat™ and RPM™ throughout the weekend. New Zealand-based Les Mills International, creator of 13 global group fitness and team training programs, connected with the fruit brands through a relationship with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
“The event’s high energy was contagious,” said Karin Gardner, marketing communications manager for The Oppenheimer Group, which represents both brands. “It put people in a perfect frame of mind to try something new. Some of the classes had over 1,000 participants, all working out in perfect sync to upbeat music. It would be hard not to walk out of that feeling inspired and ready for anything.”
Both brands used social media to create excitement, rewarding participants for engaging with hashtags, and, in Zespri’s case, hosting a fun photo booth.
“Zespri Kiwifruit’s powerful nutrition story truly resonated with this audience,” said Sarah Deaton, marketing consultant for Zespri Kiwifruit. “Its high nutrient density and low glycemic index makes it appealing to anyone interested in eating well, but this discerning audience was especially excited to learn more about it, particularly the new, sweet SunGold which was less familiar to many.”
Deaton also commented that it was enlightening and fun to watch it dawn on people that kiwifruit is really easy to eat and enjoy.
“We saw a lot of that ‘ah-ha’ moment of astonishment as people recognized that they could just cut kiwifruit in half and scoop it with a spoon,” she said. “One of our new friends was so excited he even posted a video about it on Instagram. Pretty powerful.”
Gardner noted that Envy apples enjoyed a similarly enthusiastic reception, and noted that one new Envy enthusiast actually changed her Facebook cover photo to one taken at the Envy ONE LIVE tent. “Everyone we met was passionate about fitness, and serious about taking good care of themselves and their families. A new kind of apple was an exciting discovery. They loved Envy’s sweetness, and especially learning that it is slow to brown, so perfect for slicing ahead into lunchtime salads or post-workout snacks.”
Envy apples from New Zealand are in season for a few short weeks before the Washington crop is harvested. Zespri Green and SunGold Kiwifruit are available through October.
