Great avocado-consumption events just keeping coming down the road with no end in sight.

The marketing period approaching this year’s Super Bowl, which was held Feb. 1, saw a record number of avocados sold and consumed in the United States.

Avocados from Mexico, which represented the vast majority of avocados in the U.S. marketplace during that time frame, was the main benefactor of the more than 120 million pounds consumed. Consequently, that weekend became the number one avocado consumption event in history.

AFM has kept the sales pressure up during February and March, as it pitched the consumption of Mexican avocados in a variety of different sandwiches in its “Fanwich” promotion. That promotion, which featured a nationwide display contest, can be currently witnessed at a store near you. Retailers throughout the country are taking part in this concept that gives consumers new recipe suggestions.

And now as the nation gears up for the uniquely American celebration of Cinco de Mayo, Avocados from Mexico is adding its signature product to the celebration in the form of joint promotion with two other strong brands with authentic Mexican heritage: Dos Equis Beer and Sauza Tequila.

Maggie Bezart Hall, vice president of trade and promotion for AFM, told The Produce News that both April and May “over-index on avocado consumption” with Cinco de Mayo being one of the top avocado-eating events of the year. The top usage is as an ingredient in guacamole.

Not surprisingly, when consumers buy avocados they also index very high on the purchase of alcohol, which also works very well with any planned celebration.

As such, AFM believes the joint promotion with Dos Equis beer and Sauza tequila is a perfect match. Both of those brands outperformed their competition during last year’s Cinco de Mayo marketing period, and both are consistently registering sales gains.

Hall said the cross-promotion and merchandising opportunities will give avocados additional platforms on which to increase sales. She noted that avocados are primarily bought based on display activity with eye-catching displays and promotions as sales drivers. The Cinco de Mayo promotion with AFM, Sauza and Dos Equis will feature many different display bin configurations and opportunities for retailers.

AFM says that avocados, beer and tequila share an audience, a heritage and an authenticity that will make the partnership perform greater as a whole than it could individually. Additionally, AFM believes that a joint display can help a retailer build basket value and provide a compelling platform for all parties to stand out on-shelf.

From AFM’s perspective, the partnership allows for leveraging the powerful sales forces of these two national brands, as well as their social media presence.

The tagline on the promotion will be “Keep the Fiesta Going.” That visual will appear on many different merchandising aids including display bins and point of sale material.

The April 1 to May 15 time period for the promotion will capture the run-up to Cinco de Mayo, the day itself and the following weekend, when celebrations are sure to occur.

The elements of the national program will include in-store and online coupons, in-store radio, digital media, display bins, header cards and ripening bags with that display. In-store radio is being employed as research shows that impulse buys as well as brand decisions receive an enormous lift from that type of advertising.

The promotion is being customized to comply with state laws concerning alcohol promotions, as offers will vary by state and region.