Title	TOMATOES ON 5TH
Brand	EAT THIS
Product/Service	HORTICULTURE
Category	G07. Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility
Entrant	ROORDA RECLAMEBUREAU Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation	ROORDA RECLAMEBUREAU Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
PR	ROORDA RECLAMEBUREAU Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS

Name	Company	Position
Rem Koolhaas and Samir Bantal	AMO	Curator
Stephan Petermann	MANN	Co-curator
Ed Smit	Nethwork	Client
Renee Snijders	Nethwork	Connector
Tisha Livingston	InfiniteAcres	Client
Justin Schoemaker	Infinite Acres	Partner
David Litvin	80 Acres Farm	grower
Mike Zelkind	80 Acres Farms	Partner
Meiny Prins	Priva	Partner
Joeri Jansen	Roorda Reclamebureau	Creative Director
Jasper Claus	1Camera	partner
Peter Maes	Koppert Biological Systems	Partner
Stijn Baan	Koppert Cress	Partner
Peter van der Sar	Nethwork	Connector
Karsten de Vreugd	Sugar Rush Film	Partner
Joost van Nistelrooij	Roorda Reclamebureau	Copy Writer
David Koop	Roorda Reclamebureau	Strategy Director
Jorn Slotboom	Roorda Reclamebureau	Graphic Designer
Jacqueline Krijnen	Roorda Reclamebureau	webdesign

Why is this work relevant for PR?

You don't have to fly tomatoes around the globe – you can produce them 100% sustainably anywhere in the world. And of course, this doesn’t only apply to tomatoes. The urgency and relevance of more sustainable local food production became painfully clear as COVID-19 gripped the world. The COVID crisis forced us to look at how we grow and distribute our food more sustainable, urgently than we could possibly have imagined. And answering the questions the crisis raised is exactly what the Netherlands’ glasshouse agriculture industry is committed to doing – as we demonstrated on New York’s 5th Avenue.

Background

The rapidly growing global population and an increasingly depleted Earth require sustainable solutions. The Dutch greenhouse food and horticulture sector is a global leader in innovation and sustainability. However, the greenhouse food sector is introvert, modest and not used to collaborate. That has to change. If the sector can join forces and become more well-known, it can inspire the world to produce in ways that are more sustainable. It can also help to close the gap that has emerged between city and countryside and educate people about food. Finally, doing this should make the sector more attractive to young people, an issue at a time when fewer and fewer young people are opting for a career in agriculture. The Netherlands must become proud of ‘the art' of sustainable cultivation, and greenhouse agriculture and horticulture must become an attractive employer for a new generation of high-tech farmers.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

We launched the EatThis.info platform to connect and empower the greenhouse sector, to celebrate successes together and to educate and inspire the public. For the launch, we needed a high-profile idea that would bridge the gap between farming and the public. At the time, Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas was preparing his exhibition ‘Countryside, The future’ at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The idea was to emphasized how strongly countryside and city depend on each other. For his exhibition, Koolhaas wanted to both address the challenges and show viable solutions. This proved the perfect opportunity for the Dutch greenhouse sector to ‘steal the show.’ To reach as many people as possible, we suggested placing the display outside the museum, on the sidewalk: a Dutch greenhouse, so the whole world could see how Dutch tomatoes can be grown all over the world using the latest sustainable techniques.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

If our campaign succeeds in getting the sector to collaborate, we immediately create a blueprint for future collaborations. We therefore aimed to engage the publicity shy sector with a collaboration that would stimulate their pride and hunger for more. People in the Netherlands like it when other countries talk about us. The PR stories are stronger when we’re the talk of NYC rather than a Dutch province. To boost the pride and confidence of the sector we needed a global stage and the attention of not only local but the world’s media as well. The approach was to make a piece that not only created awareness and was worth sharing, but which also proved the possibilities offered when nature and Dutch innovation join force. A self-fulfilling strategic PR stunt that would spark future collaboration and attract young people to the sector. Guggenheim, Koolhaas and 5th Ave seemed the perfect stage.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

The only way to bring this concept to life was for the sector to join forces. Which it did. 80 Acres and Priva set up a joint venture just to install the greenhouse. Rijk Zwaan supplied seeds, Priva supplied the climate technology, Hortilux provided the lighting, the bee hives from Koppert Biological Systems took care of pollination and the rockwool substrate came from Grandon. Rem Koolhaas, Guggenheim and the city of New York rolled up their collective sleeves to do whatever it would take to make this possible. This including closing bridges and streets overnight to enable the construction of the greenhouse. All of this was documented, filmed and shared on media. Our greenhouse became the eye catching centerpiece of the show and overshadowed the iconic Guggenheim building. During the show (and COVID lockdown), our grower shared our tomatoes’ progress on Instagram. These stories attracted the attention of more media.

List the results (30% of vote)

Images of our ultraviolet-lit greenhouse appeared on all the major news channels (BBC, CBS, Bloomberg, etc.) and featured in major news outlets (Time, TheGuardian, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Die Zeit, El-País, La Repubblica, Bloomberg, etc.) and special interest platforms (Wallpaper, Fast Company, Wired, ELLE, Monocle, The New Yorker, ArtForum, TimeOut, National Geographic, etc.). The urgent need for our sustainable food solution became painfully clear as COVID-19 gripped the world. New York was rocked by the crisis. The city, including its museums, went into lockdown. But nature stops for no one, and our tomatoes continued to flourish. Our grower continued to work in the greenhouse and shared his hopeful stories on Instagram. Our first tomato harvest (and subsequent harvests) were donated to NY homeless organizations. This generated a second wave of PR when The New York Times featured our grower’s story on its front page. Without any media spend, the project is estimated to have reached 350 million people and generated €6 million in earned media value. Through this resounding success, the EatThis platform has become a lively and active network that has attracted 40 new contributors and investors from 14 countries. Our monthly inspiration sessions and podcast involve participants from all over the world. The project also inspired two film makers, resulting in a Netflix series on the origin of food (episode one is about the origin of the tomato) and a documentary about sustainable food production, with our tomato as hero.

Please tell us how the brand purpose inspired the work

A fast-growing global population and an increasingly depleted Earth need sustainable solutions. The Dutch greenhouse food and horticulture sector is a global leader in innovation and sustainability. History and experience show that when you combine the industry’s understanding of nature with the ingenuity of Dutch farmers and state-of-the-art technology, you arrive at solutions that can make a difference worldwide. However, the sector is introvert, modest and not used to collaborating with others. Our brand purpose is to change the status quo. If the sector can join forces and become better known to the public, it can inspire the entire world to produce local food in ways that are more sustainable and innovative. It can also help to close the gap that has emerged between city and countryside and to educate people about where our food comes from. Finally, it will help to make the sector more appealing to young people.