Physicians do not endorse fruit brands. Until now. This is the story of how Zespri earned 293 signatures — and built the infrastructure to carry that clinical authority all the way to Taiwan’s breakfast table.

Although Taiwan is known as the “kingdom of fruit”, the reality is that 86.4% of citizens still do not eat enough fruit each day, and 93.6% of school children fail to consume even two portions of fruit daily. This long‑standing health issue has often been overlooked. To address this concern, SPRG Taipei helped Zespri break away from traditional brand promotion and reposition the brand as a “health partner” for the public. The team focused on the time of day when nutrition is most likely to be unbalanced – breakfast – and launched a behaviour‑change campaign built around the simple idea of “Breakfast + 1 KIWI”.

Strategy:

To bring its brand purpose to life, SPRG Taipei developed a fully integrated communications plan that went beyond traditional marketing. By partnering with trusted medical authorities in Taiwan, the campaign gave credible backing to the nutritional benefits of kiwifruit, helping to build public confidence in its health value. This credible support strengthened the fruit’s healthy image and gave people a clear reason to add it to their daily routine, reinforcing kiwifruit as an everyday health choice.

• Building authority‑led trust: reinforcing health benefits - Based on international clinical research, the campaign secured endorsements from hundreds of gastroenterologists and became the first FMCG brand to be endorsed by both the Taiwan Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases (TASID) and the Taiwan Association of Diabetes Educators (TADE), providing strong professional backing for the health benefits of kiwifruit. At the same time, more than 141,000 educational leaflets were distributed to 338 medical institutions across Taiwan, building trust directly in clinics and helping patients choose fruit more confidently, recognising kiwifruit as a healthy option rather than a “high‑sugar” fruit.
• Unlocking retail channels: breaking convenience barriers - In support of the Taiwan Millennium Health Foundation’s Healthy Plate initiative, which advocates that half of every meal should consist of fruits and vegetables, the campaign activated 7,023 7‑ELEVEN stores across Taiwan to promote fresh‑cut kiwifruit packs. This made it easy for people to pick up a healthy portion of fruit within the three‑second decision window when buying breakfast at convenience stores. 
• Engaging schools: turning habits into family routines - Through a partnership with the John Tung Foundation, the campaign launched the “14‑day Fruit Party Challenge”, turning fruit education into a fun, game‑like experience that attracted nearly 5,000 schoolchildren. As children brought these new habits back home, 37.9% of families developed a lasting routine of eating fruit at breakfast, creating a ripple effect from classroom to family table.