Social and Digital Activities of Commission’s Key Retail Partners Secure Nearly 4 Million Impressions

To prepare for the 2022-23 California avocado season and stimulate social and digital activities that pique demand for and loyalty to the locally grown fruit, the California Avocado Commission’s Retail Marketing Directors collaborated with key retail accounts. Together, CAC and the retail teams developed targeted multi-platform social and digital campaigns and custom content to support CAC’s retail marketing promotions and those of the top-tier retailers.

During the pre-season meetings, the Commission presented customized California Avocado Retail Resource decks providing California avocado industry highlights and messaging, a review of California avocado promotions and activations from the previous year and suggested themes for content and giveaways. Each presentation was unique to the key account retail team, providing data relevant to the specific retailer. CAC also provided complementary social media advertising that targeted retailers’ opted-in subscribers and social/digital followers.

The retail marketing communications ran from April through August and were supplemented by social and digital advertisements on CAC’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter platforms to promote the availability of in-season California avocados at the retailers’ locations. In addition, the posts provided a link to the Commission’s online store locator to direct consumers to nearby retail locations with fresh California avocados. Additionally, from June through mid-August, advertisements on the popular mobile navigation application Waze directed consumers right to retail stores. In total, CAC’s Waze promotion drove more than 126,000 navigations to partner retail locations where California avocados could be purchased.

In May, Save Mart celebrated Mother’s Day and California avocado growers by posting a video reel on Instagram and Facebook that was provided by the Commission and featured California avocado grower Rachael Laenen. To support Gelson’s Markets, CAC developed and provided recipe videos, images and contest packages for Cinco de Mayo, July 4th and an August Hatch chiles and California avocado promotion. Mollie Stone’s also celebrated Cinco de Mayo and California Avocado Month with giveaways that showcased CAC’s recipe videos and images on its digital platforms. Nugget Markets also promoted the Golden State fruit as part of its Cinco de Mayo Facebook and Instagram posts. In addition, during California Avocado Month the chain featured California avocados in its enewsletter — the Daily Dish — and released a series of posts on its Facebook and Instagram channels that led up to a giveaway. In June, Albertsons-Vons-Pavilions ran weekly social media posts on Instagram and Facebook across its banners celebrating California Avocado Month.

To educate its customers, Lunds & Byerlys shared two articles in its enewsletter and on its social channels featuring the GEM variety and providing helpful tips about how to best ripen a California avocado. Raley’s also shared a three-part informative social media series with recipe reels, images and how-to preparation tips in August. And Stater Bros. Markets celebrated National Avocado Day, July 31, with an article entitled, “California Avocados: The Creamy Delight You Need in Your Kitchen.”

The multi-platform posts on the social and digital channels of key retailer accounts shared a broad range of California avocado-specific content and California Avocados branding. The posts, which showcased the seasonality of the fruit, new usage ideas and how-to tips garnered nearly 5 million impressions and presented consumers with a variety of reasons for choosing California avocados.