Read the Cinco de Mayo creative merchandising opportunities abound overview.
Along with avocados, mangoes are another Cinco de Mayo favorite.
“For 5 de Mayo, our first thought to suggest retailers to add to their marketing plans is to make a cross-promotion with a well-known bottled or powdered sauce brand,” Alex Arcos, chief marketing executive for Nogales, Ariz.-based Palenque Foods.
“For the Hispanic market, mangoes and spicy sauce go hand-in-hand smoothly, creating a perfect blend of sweet and intense flavors in the consumer’s mouth. This is the experience that Palenque Foods wants to promote. That is the way we do it in Mexico.” Arcos also suggests marketers design their campaigns with authenticity in mind.
“Hispanic shoppers are more likely to appreciate brands that rise above Mexican stereotypes or clichés,” Arcos said.
“Instead of turning Cinco de Mayo into a misunderstood justification to sell something, retail formats should focus more on social media to embrace the culture. Some examples may include a prize-winning quiz, fascinating Mexican facts or a legitimate troop of Mexican influencers that may bring a fresh and innovative way of representing Mexican values to U.S. consumers.
“For this reason, Palenque Foods is creating efforts to develop a consolidated social media platform in which consumers and clients can interact with our products, our practices, our culture, our people and our way of celebrating and promoting this beautiful tropical delicacy,” Arcos said.
Luis Cintron, vice president of procurement for Doral, Fla.-based J&C Tropicals, noted that promotional materials available include signage, bins, point-of-sale assets and more, along with a plethora of recipes the company shares on its website and social media.
Chris Ciruli, chief operating officer of Rio Rico, Ariz.-based Ciruli Bros., recommended high-graphic secondary display bins from the National Mango Board and noted that Ciruli Bros. also offers point-of-sale signage, photography and recipes.
