The Marlene® nymph decorates 150,000 bags across Europe

Marlene®’s new look will accompany thousands of consumers’ shopping trips throughout Europe. Starting in February, the “Marlene® nymph”, the work chosen to represent the VOG Consortium’s brand for Marlene®’s 25th anniversary, has been printed on over 150,000 shopping bags distributed in the main European countries where Marlene® apples are sold.

“The beautiful work that won our art competition turned the shopping bag into a desirable item. As well as being a useful and sustainable gift, this shopping bag is also chic and elegant, ideal for Marlene® consumers’ daily shopping trips,” comments Hannes Tauber, Marketing Manager at the VOG Consortium. “We began distributing it in South Tyrol – Südtirol, in the VOG cooperatives’ shops, as a free gift for those who bought Marlene® apples on Mother’s Day. We also organised opportunities to distribute it and reach our distributors all over Europe.”

The Marlene® nymph, created by Italian artist Francesca Cito, is the work selected from the 6,000 participants in the international art competition to celebrate Marlene®’s 25th anniversary, which involved 36 countries around the world. Surrounded by apple orchards and with a radiant, dreamy face, the winning work represents the Marlene® world and the Alpine landscape where the apples are grown.
In the year of the celebrations, until July 2021, the illustration will define Marlene®’s look on stickers, packs and all promotional materials such as shopping bags, bringing a burst of colour and beauty to points of sale.
In April and May, the joyous shopping bag was sent to several Marlene® customers in Italy in the wholesale and large-scale distribution markets. Wholesalers in Spain and Benelux were targeted, while in Jordan the focus was on fruit and vegetable markets and retail shops. In Malta, initiatives have focused on greengrocers and supermarkets.

“This is a small gift that our customers can give to consumers,” concludes Hannes Tauber. “It is one of the many promotional activities that we are conducting to mark Marlene®’s 25th anniversary. The goal is to bring art closer to people, into their daily lives to kindle the spark of creativity and taste. Marlene® is not just any apple, but the daughter of the Alps, and its flavour can transport consumers’ imagination to the mountains, where it grows firm and succulent.”