HAB and Melissa's announce contest winners
HAB and Melissa's announce contest winners
The first co-marketing program between the Hass Avocado Board and Melissa's/World Variety Produce in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month left no question that avocados have gone way beyond guacamole.
The one-month contest, which ran from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, included a retail display contest as well as a recipe contest for consumers, who were invited to submit original recipes featuring Hass avocados and a Melissa's chili pepper product. The contest primarily targeted 2,500 independent Hispanic markets, a niche that Melissa's has cultivated, but it also quickly attracted major retailers wanting to reach out to their Hispanic customers.
"Hispanic Heritage Month was a new promotional program for HAB, and Melissa's was the ideal co-marketing partner," Connie Stukenberg, HAB spokesperson, said in a statement. "Melissa's understanding of the Hispanic consumer and its relationships with retailers who serve this market is unparalleled. We received an added bonus when our major retailers joined the promotion as well."
Recipes featuring creative avocado usage demonstrated HAB's message of versatility is resonating with consumers. Impressive retail displays throughout the Midwest and Southeast provided further evidence that consumer demand for Hass avocados extends well beyond the core markets.
"We were thrilled by the displays we saw at retail," Ms. Stukenberg added in the statement. "Retailers understand that customer loyalty is something they have to earn and promotions such as this help keep them top-of-mind with their customers. By supporting the Hispanic culture, which values quality and fresh products, the retailers underscored their recognition of and commitment to this loyal customer base."
Melissa's and HAB produced point-of-sale kits for the retailers, which Melissa's distributed through its direct-to-store merchandising network two weeks prior to the start date. Melissa's efforts were supplemented by the HAB merchandising team. Additionally, both entities featured the promotion on their respective web sites, with the promotion announced to consumers on avocadocentral.com in both English and Spanish. Melissa's also featured the contest in its Sept. 6 on-line newsletter, Melissa's in Minutes, which boasts a large circulation.
"We saw an excellent opportunity to build upon what we have done previously during our Hispanic Heritage Month promotions with HAB," Robert Scheuller, Melissa's director of public relations, said in the statement. "Avocados are a staple among the Hispanic community and a great complement to the many specialty produce items we offer. This year the focus was on chili peppers, and there were some extremely creative recipes that truly impressed our executive chefs, who served as the judges."
HAB judged the retail display contest and awarded the first place to Jewel Store No. 3290 in Chicago. Recipe contest judging was conducted by Melissa's executive chefs. Those entrants who received top honors from the judges received a copy of Melissa's Great Book of Produce and six pounds of Hass avocados.
"Co-marketing is invaluable to HAB. It provides a vehicle to build consumer demand and sales at retail, while increasing overall category performance," Ms. Stukenberg added. "The response to our Hispanic Heritage Month promotion with Melissa's was incredible. In addition to the enthusiastic participation of the independents, we achieved excellent support with themed promotions from the mainstream retailers. This promotion validates HAB's understanding of the significance of this special holiday period to one of our primary target audiences. It was a great experience and the type of promotion we plan to continue."
The one-month contest, which ran from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, included a retail display contest as well as a recipe contest for consumers, who were invited to submit original recipes featuring Hass avocados and a Melissa's chili pepper product. The contest primarily targeted 2,500 independent Hispanic markets, a niche that Melissa's has cultivated, but it also quickly attracted major retailers wanting to reach out to their Hispanic customers.
"Hispanic Heritage Month was a new promotional program for HAB, and Melissa's was the ideal co-marketing partner," Connie Stukenberg, HAB spokesperson, said in a statement. "Melissa's understanding of the Hispanic consumer and its relationships with retailers who serve this market is unparalleled. We received an added bonus when our major retailers joined the promotion as well."
Recipes featuring creative avocado usage demonstrated HAB's message of versatility is resonating with consumers. Impressive retail displays throughout the Midwest and Southeast provided further evidence that consumer demand for Hass avocados extends well beyond the core markets.
"We were thrilled by the displays we saw at retail," Ms. Stukenberg added in the statement. "Retailers understand that customer loyalty is something they have to earn and promotions such as this help keep them top-of-mind with their customers. By supporting the Hispanic culture, which values quality and fresh products, the retailers underscored their recognition of and commitment to this loyal customer base."
Melissa's and HAB produced point-of-sale kits for the retailers, which Melissa's distributed through its direct-to-store merchandising network two weeks prior to the start date. Melissa's efforts were supplemented by the HAB merchandising team. Additionally, both entities featured the promotion on their respective web sites, with the promotion announced to consumers on avocadocentral.com in both English and Spanish. Melissa's also featured the contest in its Sept. 6 on-line newsletter, Melissa's in Minutes, which boasts a large circulation.
"We saw an excellent opportunity to build upon what we have done previously during our Hispanic Heritage Month promotions with HAB," Robert Scheuller, Melissa's director of public relations, said in the statement. "Avocados are a staple among the Hispanic community and a great complement to the many specialty produce items we offer. This year the focus was on chili peppers, and there were some extremely creative recipes that truly impressed our executive chefs, who served as the judges."
HAB judged the retail display contest and awarded the first place to Jewel Store No. 3290 in Chicago. Recipe contest judging was conducted by Melissa's executive chefs. Those entrants who received top honors from the judges received a copy of Melissa's Great Book of Produce and six pounds of Hass avocados.
"Co-marketing is invaluable to HAB. It provides a vehicle to build consumer demand and sales at retail, while increasing overall category performance," Ms. Stukenberg added. "The response to our Hispanic Heritage Month promotion with Melissa's was incredible. In addition to the enthusiastic participation of the independents, we achieved excellent support with themed promotions from the mainstream retailers. This promotion validates HAB's understanding of the significance of this special holiday period to one of our primary target audiences. It was a great experience and the type of promotion we plan to continue."
