Seeds of Change Accelerator

When Mars Food established the Seeds of Change Accelerator in the US – a program to help early stage food companies fast-track growth with grants of up to $40,000, Bite’s job was to launch the program in Australia, with a lead time of eight weeks.

Understanding that entrepreneurs are driven by purpose and tend to be wary of large food manufacturers, our first priority was to fast track credibility for the program. While globally Mars Food has a reputation for supporting innovation and start-up businesses, this was less known in the Australian market.

We worked with Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL) as both a campaign partner and mentor in the accelerator program. We created a communications strategy with multiple opportunities to generate news in order to quickly build Mars Food Australia’s reputation in this space.

We were responsible for all tools to deliver the communications program: website, database acquisition, EDMs, social media, media relations and events, including launch, roadshows, final pitch and graduation. Our program was designed to build awareness of the accelerator, drive action in getting the right entrepreneurs to apply and deliver position corporate brand awareness for Mars Food Australia. And we delivered.

The communications program generated +10 million opportunities for our target audiences to see messages about Mars Food Australia’s support for the future of food innovation in Australia. It delivered 224 quality applications from food start-ups and scale ups and drove awareness of the six program finalists: The Australian Superfood Company, Fable, The Edible Bug Shop, Grounded, The Human Connection Project and Spiralz Fermented Food.