Mexican avocado imports break U.S. records 

After six years of successful advertising in the Super Bowl, Dallas-based Avocados From Mexico shifted its strategy to help drive retail sales during the fall.

The strategy worked in a big way, the group says, with a historic record of 277 million pounds of Mexican avocados imported into the U.S. in the first four weeks of the year.

That volume represents a 19% increase compared with the same period in 2020, according to the release.

“We had plans to pivot our strategy ahead of the pandemic, and I’m impressed with the results in a year rocked by challenges,” Alvaro Luque, president and CEO of Avocados From Mexico, said in the release. 

“We decided some time ago that we wanted to start changing the sales dynamic of the industry and reinforce fall as a key season for AFM in preparation for an unprecedented Big Game push.”

From October to December, the U.S. market received an average of 49 million pounds per week, compared with an average of 46 million pounds per week in 2019 during the same time. 

“Since we decided to reinforce the promotional strategy for October through December two years ago, Mexican avocado imports have grown 27% during this three-month period, a clear indication that we are on the right path,” Luque said in the release.

AFM’s trade and shopper marketing activities from October through December included:

• A national shopper marketing campaign featuring a $500,000 home giveaway;
• A national incentive contest with over 35 participating retail accounts, consumer and loyalty offers; and
• An emphasis on bagged fruit programs.

AFM’s “Guac Bowl” campaign was a fully integrated shopper and digital campaign for the Big Game, including major football celebrities Hall of Famer and sports newscaster Troy Aikman and sports newscaster Erin Andrews.

“Our campaign helped reinforce our association with football in an effort to generate excitement with our retailers and drive baskets for the No. 1 guacamole occasion of the year,” Stephanie Bazan, vice president for trade and market development for Avocados From Mexico, said in the release.

In-store point-of-sale materials and displays that featured Aikman and Andrews served as guacamole destinations throughout stores. With more than 51,000 displays in over 65 accounts, the promotion is AFM’s largest shopper and trade marketing program for the Super Bowl to-date, according to the release.