CAC ready to drive avocado season sales

California avocado season has begun in earnest, says the Irvine, Calif.-based California Avocado Commission.

Winter and early spring rains contributed to delaying the usual start of harvesting but were excellent for California avocado tree health. As a result, the 257 million pounds of California avocados estimated for this season likely will be concentrated from late April through summer, according to a news release.

To bolster this volume, the CAC is engaged with marketing support at “full throttle.”

“Members of the commission marketing team have been out in California avocado groves this month seeing firsthand just how beautiful the trees and avocados are after all the rain,” CAC Vice President of Marketing Terry Splane said in the release. “Harvesting and retailer seasonal transitions are well underway."

To support California avocado sales, the commission is maintaining continuity with its advertising campaign: “The best avocados have California in them.” CAC’s consumer media program is targeted to avocado shoppers in California and the West who are willing to pay more for premium brands and to avocado “super users.”

CAC says its media plans “leverage the best performing channels and streaming services from 2022 as well as social media and search advertising.”

“California avocado marketing support this season takes all the best from last year’s campaign and strengthens it with new tactics,” Splane said. “Retailers who merchandise California avocados are enthusiastic about the commission supporting customized direct to consumer promotions designed to boost retailer business.”

In 2023 CAC says it is putting more emphasis on these direct-to-retail promotions that support in-store merchandising, demos, social and digital consumer communications and more. This season’s consumer media began in April and continues at least through July.

CAC is also embracing new promotional opportunities this year, including an eye-catching, fully wrapped BART train in San Francisco that will travel throughout the Bay Area’s rapid transit system. Video streaming on channels such as Hulu and YouTube, as well as audio advertising on iHeart radio, Spotify and Pandora, provides a broad reach for the California avocado messaging, the release said.

Digital and outdoor advertising, including billboards, wallboards and Volta charging stations in high-traffic locations, including some in the parking lots of supermarkets that merchandise California avocados, are designed to remind shoppers on their way into stores to add the fruit to their shopping carts. The mobile directions app Waze directs targeted consumers to retail store locations on their routes where California avocados are in distribution.

Social media marketing continues on CAC’s Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and YouTube channels. CAC’s influencer marketing program, which works with influential content creators, recipe developers and dietitians, complements the creative media plan and social outreach, according to the release. Customer-specific programs will continue as the season winds down.