Nation's Leading Potato Relations Pro Published in Spudman Magazine
Evocati PR CEO Mark Szymanski's Exclusive Op-Ed Featured in Spudman Magazine
Evocati PR CEO Mark Szymanski
Fighting for Your Favorite Vegetable
Mark joined the National Potato Council (NPC) staff in 2011, during a tumultuous time for the industry. Activists, policymakers, and First Lady Michelle Obama had waged a war on potatoes, marking them as a scapegoat for America's childhood obesity epidemic. The nutritious, affordable potato was now public enemy number one and branded as a poison ravaging our nation.
When common sense and policy efforts hit a roadblock, Mark, NPC, and the industry turned to the last weapon left in their arsenal: Public Relations. By communicating straight to the American people and arming their allies in D.C. with compelling messaging, the organization was successful in its efforts to protect the reputation of America's #1 vegetable.
READ MORE: Never Stop Never Stopping: Potatoes Take Off, Again | Evocati PR
The Spudman Op-Ed
Today, America is a Spud Nation, but the potato wars remain. The industry recently celebrated a policy retreat by USDA, which had previously prevented WIC vouchers from being used to purchase fresh potatoes. And, after a year-long PR and advocacy campaign, NPC—an Evocati PR client—just squashed an attempt to reclassify the potato as something other than a vegetable in the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans; recommendations that impact dozens of federal, state, and local feeding programs.
We're delighted to share this op-ed by our CEO in his stalwart defense of the mighty spud. In his words:
It’s important that we reflect on those dark years to see how far this industry has come. Thanks to the advocacy efforts of NPC, our state partners, and the coalition of pro-potato allies we have built on Capitol Hill, we’ve not only been able to fend off attacks against the reputation of potatoes, but we’ve also gone on the offensive.
While anti-potato activists continue to find new and inventive ways to attack potatoes, Evocati PR and NPC are playing Whack-a-Mole, thwarting their efforts to demean potatoes wherever they pop up to protect America's massive potato industry.
Read the full op-ed from our CEO in Spudman Magazine here.