Rockit Apple inspires courage in new ‘READY. SET. ROCKIT’ campaign via Special New Zealand

As millions of freshly harvested New Zealand-grown Rockit apples begin arriving into ports around the world, a bold new brand campaign via Special, kicks off harnessing the spirit of bravery.

From artists to fitness instructors to musicians to aspiring basketball players, relatable individuals feature in the compelling campaign, which encourages Rockit’s global consumers to push their limits and go further than they’ve ever gone before (whatever that might look like to them) and “Ready. Set. Rockit.”

With the creative heft of agency Special driving the interpretations of courage that run through this year’s campaign, Rockit’s CEO Mark O’Donnell says the message is bound to inspire: “We love the idea that any challenge – no matter how daunting – can be overcome by taking it just one small bite at a time. The innovative campaign imagery showcases occasions where a little bit of bravery takes us into territory we’ve never known before – and we can overcome our fear, seize the moment, and really rock it.”

General manager global marketing Julian Smith says Rockit and Special consciously chose human-centred and heartfelt stories that would resonate with consumers, no matter where they are in the world: “These stories are genuine, and they’re universal. Whether it’s inspiring athlete Pieta Bouma contemplating a steep ramp and harnessing every ounce of courage to make that drop, or novice basketballer Arden Lu, sizing up an opponent almost double his height. We love that these are real people, facing real challenges, and doing it with bravery and heart – rocking it in their own environments, every day.”

Pieta, one of the featured athletes, says it was a huge honour to be part of the campaign. Involved in a myriad of different sports, she’s currently training for a triathlon: “It’s so easy to hold back and listen to your doubts, but Ready. Set. Rockit is about pushing through that fear and getting the most out of life. The campaign was important to me because it represents the disabled community in a celebratory way. It shows my wheelchair as a tool that enables fun and enjoyment rather than a burden or a pity. I think it’s so important that disabled joy is seen and that we are represented positively.”

For Pieta, bravery means many things, “from showing up looking different, to advocating for my right to participate. Bravery is asking for help, bravery is self-advocacy, bravery is pushing through that moment when you don’t think you can go any further to see what happens if you do.”

Smith says it means a lot to the Rockit and Special teams to have demonstrated the value of courage in so many distinct ways: “We’re really proud of the depth of this campaign.”

Rolling out over the coming year through extensive online, in-store and social channels, it also harnesses the power of the Rockit brand assets that Special developed in partnership with the premium miniature apple company in 2021. Since then, Rockit has claimed a number of prestigious design and marketing awards and enjoyed a huge leap in brand recognition in the countries it exports to. “In just one year, unprompted awareness of the Rockit brand has tripled.”

Now, with almost 20 million apples either on the water, or already on shelves across Asia and the Middle East, the Ready. Set. Rockit brand campaign takes centre stage from this month forward with around another 80 million apples still to ship.

Adds Smith: “The way we approach our branding might be a little different from the way ordinary commodity apple businesses do it, but that’s the point. We’re a brand that thinks and acts differently, we innovate, we’re brimming with energy, and we want to showcase all those values in our imagery and storytelling.”