Early Season Ads Ensured California Avocado Distribution with Key Retailers

Early season digital ad activations are an essential part of the California Avocado Commission’s efforts to motivate retailers to engage with the California avocado industry and ensure the flow of fruit prior to the Cinco de Mayo holiday. This season the Commission is partnering with Walmart and Sam’s Club on a digital ad program designed to deliver 18 million highly targeted ads to the desktops and mobile devices of shoppers most likely to purchase California avocados.

The ads, which ran from late April through June 16, showcased “the best avocados have California in them” creative and a “buy now” call to action. The digital ad program helped kick start the California avocado season and encouraged preference for the California origin leading into peak season. By providing digital ad support, the Commission closes out the competition and helps ensure targeted retailers begin the season with California fruit, rather than mixed lines of supply.

The Commission will review the data to better understand new customer acquisition, retention and brand penetration both pre-, during and post-event as well the number of impressions the ads generate to quantify the value of the ad executions. Providing advertising closer to the point of purchase has proven to be a valuable means by which CAC can demonstrate its commitment to trade and secure early season distribution — especially in years, like this one, where early season supplies are challenging.