From elegant animal sculptures to U.S. flags, berry lovers across North America have flocked to a Driscoll's social media competition focused on food art.

With a Nikon D550 camera and a year's supply of berries up for grabs, the group's #pictureperfectplate campaign is now two weeks in and will run through August.

Driscoll's director of marketing Francis Dillard told www.freshfruitportal.com the initiative had attracted thousands of submissions, but the degree of social media conversation combined with content from blogger contributors showed the campaign was about more than just sweepstakes.

"It's really been interesting because you can actually go directly to the website and see the photos that people are entering - they are definitely passionate and engaged folk," Dillard said.

"The photos are very elaborate; everything from a turkey-shaped pie to beautiful bowls. People are taking thoughtful moments in the way they prepare food.

"What we're seeing really is how engaged they, how they want to talk to us and how much they really want to be part of the brand story. I think that is really unprecedented – social media has really done that for marketers; we're not just pushing, we're exchanging."

She said 'mom bloggers' like Samantha Lee also played a key role in the campaign and boosting the social media conversation about berries, while retail partners were also contributing.

"It is an integrated content approach, and each month you're going to see a handful of mom bloggers who write for us on our website. What we've done is outreach where there are a lot of folks that are really doing this specific food art, and creating content on their websites as well.

"In the same way that on Driscolls.com and on our social media platform we’re asking people to create and share their photos, we also have an integrated program inside of our retail managed accounts.

"We have about eight partners that are participating, anywhere from Whole Foods to Lucky to Big Y, and they also have in-store and/or social media - they've taken the concept of the picture perfect plate and they're driving sales and traffic within their stores as well."

The executive added that like other U.S summer fruit programs, the berry deal was running a bit early as well.

"So we're getting volumes earlier than we thought, and I would say certainly our sales team and our production team are prepared for that.

"I would say we probably have a little bit more and a little bit earlier," she added, when asked about the timing of peak volumes.

Blogger Samantha Lee's 'I love you Beary Much' plate

Photo courtesy of the blog How About Cookie

Photos: Driscoll's

www.freshfruitportal.com