Avocados from Mexico is the College Football Playoff’s official avocado

Football season is right around the corner, and no game day celebration is complete without guac! That's why Avocados From Mexico has partnered with the College Football Playoff to become its official avocado, making it the first produce brand to ever join forces with college football's national championship event, according to a news release.

Avocados From Mexico says it plans to make tailgating even better by introducing hungry football fans to "guacgating" this season. A “guacgate," according to the brand, is a new twist on the "homegate" — a tailgate hosted at home. AFM’s “guacgate” concept combines the fun of cheering on a team with family and friends with a heaping spread of fresh guacamole, the release said.

"More than 130 million Americans are interested in ‘homegating,’" Stephanie Bazan, Avocados From Mexico's senior vice president of commercial strategy and execution, said in the release. "And the CFP national championship viewership has grown 18% year over years. This partnership is an incredible opportunity for us to reach those shoppers in-store to ensure they add fresh Avocados From Mexico to their shopping list."

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It is anticipated that college football will draw in over 26 million viewers watching broadcasts of more than 1,700 games over 13 weeks, according to the release. A football season must-have, guacamole can be a win for retailers and consumers alike, as avocados increase basket size by an average of $45.20, the release said. That presents a ripe opportunity to reach consumers in-store, as half of surveyed shoppers share that avocados are served or prepared at their football game gatherings, according to the release.

Ensuring guacamole is a staple for game day spreads this fall

Throughout the “guacgating” season, the official avocado of the CFP is taking college football excitement to the next level, ensuring shoppers have easy access to avocados with in-store promotional programs, consumer savings, thematic packaging and digital engagement, the release said.

"Avocados From Mexico has built a deep connection to football, as the first produce brand to advertise in the Big Game and now the first produce brand to advertise with the College Football Playoff," Alvaro Luque, Avocados From Mexico president and CEO, said in the release.

"We have the majority share of the category from [October] to Dec. 6 and are committed to reinforcing that time period for avocados,” he continued. “Guacamole is a cornerstone of many game day spreads, and we are excited to share the goodness and connect with college football fans in a new way this season."

The week of the CFP national championship drives the highest average equivalized (EQ) sales lift from the prior week than any other time of the year, including Cinco de Mayo and the Super Bowl itself, lifting an average of 19%, according to the release.

“Guacgating” program activations

Avocados From Mexico’s fall avocado program includes activations such as:

• Fresh limited-edition packaging: Retailers can kick off anticipation for avocados with attention-getting displays, like a football-shaped avocado bin that will help make avocados easy for shoppers to spot. Retailers can build excitement by using Avocados From Mexico merchandise displays while supplies last, the release said.

• Savings for shoppers: When shoppers buy four avocados, they can snap a photo of the receipt and upload by scanning the QR code on in-store bins to receive $1 cash back instantly.

• Game day guac plan: Shoppers can visit avocadosfrommexico.com for avocado-based recipes to help fans up their guac game, according to the release.