Prize-winning Copper Tickets Hidden in P.E.I. Potato Bags

The P.E.I. Potato Board has launched a new promotion featuring prize-winning tickets hidden in bags of potatoes, in a move remindful of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'.

Whoever finds one will win a prize package featuring cookware and P.E.I. potato products. "It's a really simple, affordable marketing exercise for us," said Kendra Mills, marketing director for the P.E.I. Potato Board. "It's simple, it's easy for the customer, it's a little bit of fun."

There are 20 tickets, distributed throughout Atlantic Canada and in Ontario. The contest is part of a larger promotion aimed at consumers. It's timely, said Mills, because in the pandemic people are eating at home more.

The potato industry had to deal with a volatile market in the spring, when sales to restaurants disappeared virtually overnight while direct-to-consumer sales soared. Growers and distributors were able to pivot to enjoy a year of strong sales overall.

In addition to the contest, the board has created a series of ads, filmed this summer on the Island with P.E.I. actors, which will air both on television and as part of an online campaign.