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"Cranberry bogs aren't exactly synonymous with urban landscapes, but for the eighth year in a row, Ocean Spray has set up a temporary farming crop in the middle of New York City. This year, however, the company drew attention to the marketing effort with a special emphasis on boosting its social media fan base, in addition to growing brand awareness.\nCalled the Big Apple Bog, Ocean Spray earlier this week installed a 1,500-sq. ft. cranberry bog filled with 2,000 pounds of cranberries located in the heavily-trafficked Rockefeller Center area. Inside, cranberry farmers and the actors from the Ocean Spray commercials dressed in waders were on hand to answer questions about the products, health benefits and growing process.\nAlthough this is similar to how Ocean Spray approached the initiative in the past, it made the experience much more social this year on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. A taste-testing station was set up near the bog, along with an interactive touchscreen survey to gauge flavor feedback. Those who participated were encouraged to share their results on Facebook and Twitter, and also take pictures of the installation and post them online.\n\n\nIn addition, Ocean Spray incorporated a livestream video, so fans from all over could watch a series of scheduled events happening at the Rockefeller Center bog during the day. For example, a temporary bar was featured in the middle of the bog and the company broadcasted a segment about cranberry-inspired cocktails. \nFree live streaming by Ustream\nThe Ocean Spray team \u2014 which recently did a similar exhibit in Orlando for six weeks and has a permanent (and real) cranberry bog at Gillette Stadium in Boston \u2014 said the marketing initiative is huge for brand awareness, both offline and online. Ocean Spray added about 4,000 new fans on its Facebook page in two days (now for a total of nearly 800,000 Facebook fans), and its exposure through pictures spread across the Internet, especially through tourists visiting the landmark area.\n\"The reaction we get from people passing through Rockefeller Center is always so exciting,\" Sharon Newcomb from Ocean Spray told Mashable. \"They want to somehow be a part of the experience and love to share pictures online, post to Facebook and now, even watch online. I love to go on the Internet at the end of the day and see how everyone is buzzing about Ocean Spray and the cranberry bog.\"\nWhat do you think of the marketing initiative? What are some of the most interesting, experimental branding efforts that have caught your eye? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.\nImage via @SharonGracePJs"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/10/19/ocean-spray-cranberry-bog-new-york/>