The opportunity
For the first time since 2013, Reading Terminal Market brought back its scrapple-themed fall festival in October 2024. Philadelphia’s historic public market, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, set out to execute the Scrapple & Apple Festival with the goal of raising awareness for event and driving foot traffic to Reading Terminal and its 70+ small, family-owned businesses.
Our idea
In order to raise awareness throughout the Philadelphia DMA and drive day-of event foot traffic, we executed a media relations strategy centered on promoting the silly Philly fall fun. Contrary to traditional fall or harvest festivals, this Philly-centric idea highlighted scrapple, the beloved (and sometimes maligned) Pennsylvania Dutch delicacy with a sense of humor to appeal to local and national media.
How we made it happen
In advance of the festival, Reading Terminal Market hosted its first-ever Scrapple Sculpting Competition allowing eight contestants to create original sculptures carved out of a five-pound block of scrapple and judged by a local sculpture artist. The competition occurred prior to the Scrapple & Apple Festival with the goal of receiving pre-event coverage and generating buzz about the weekend event. A winner was crowned and the sculptures were then put on display that weekend for the public to vote on their favorite, encouraging further interaction and participation.
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Reception and results
In its first year, Reading Terminal Market received 106 media mentions leading up to, during, and following the Scrapple Sculpting Competition and Scrapple & Apple Festival. These stories reached nearly 52 million people and generated $783,667 in publicity value for the Market. And it didn’t stop there, the scrapple sensation made it into local recaps of the weirdest stories of 2024.
Since 2024, the Scrapple & Apple Festival and Scrapple Sculpting Competition have become annual events drawing scrapple lovers and curious customers from around the area. The 2025 events reinforced Bellevue’s strategy, generating 254 media mentions reaching an audience of over 477 million people. Coverage included local, national and international outlets in Canada and Europe.
Our work in action
- From pumpkin patches to harvest festivals, check out fall activities in the Philadelphia area (6abc Action News)
- Art made of scrapple takes center stage at Reading Terminal Market Scrapple and Apple Festival (CBS Philadelphia)
- Scrapple Sculpting Contest brings swine artists to Reading Terminal Market (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
- Scrapple sculptors show off art at Reading Terminal Market (NBC Philadelphia)
- Weirdest stories from the Philly area in 2024 (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
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