Cinco de Mayo kicks off heavy promotion period for CAC
Cinco de Mayo kicks off heavy promotion period for CAC
Kicking off the prime California avocado season with a bang, the California Avocado Commission is supplementing its recently announced advertising campaign with promotional activities in support of Cinco de Mayo, the celebration in which guacamole and other avocado dishes are as ubiquitous as turkey is for Thanksgiving.
The commission's promotion plans include public relations outreach featuring celebrity chefs, an extensive on-line campaign and strong in-store merchandising support.
"Cinco de Mayo is the second-biggest avocado consumption occasion of the year, with nearly 54 million pounds of avocados expected to be consumed during the festive period," Jan DeLyser, the commission's vice president of marketing, said in a press release. "We've augmented our ground-breaking California avocado growers advertising campaign with Cinco de Mayo- focused promotions to encourage continued growth of consumer demand for fresh California avocados."
To help inspire Cinco de Mayo party hosts, California celebrity chefs and restaurateurs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger have teamed with the commission to create delicious avocado recipes that celebrate the holiday with Latin flair, while highlighting the California avocado's unique flavor. Ms. Milliken and Ms. Feniger are owners of the critically acclaimed Border Grill restaurants in Santa Monica, CA, and Las Vegas, NV, as well as Ciudad in downtown Los Angeles.
Through intensive outreach to broadcast television, radio, syndicated food columnists and food editors, the commission's public relations team is helping to bring the celebrity chefs' California avocado recipe ideas to millions of consumers across the country.
On-line activity is another key component of the commission's Cinco de Mayo campaign. Through May 6, CaliforniaAvocado.com is featuring a micro site titled "Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with California Avocados." The micro site includes California avocado recipes and party tips, along with an opportunity for consumers to share their own guacamole recipes. Banner advertising on the popular web site allrecipes.com is expected to garner more than 450,000 impressions and encourage consumers to visit the micro site. In addition, the commission will send out more than 60,000 Cinco de Mayo-themed recipe e-mails to California avocado recipe fans.
"Key retailers who have not already done so are using the week before Cinco de Mayo as their 'line in the sand' for transitioning to California avocados," Bradley Miles, who grows avocados in Carpinteria, CA, with his wife Emily, a fourth-generation California avocado grower, added in the press release. "April's warm weather has brought on the size of the fruit as well as increased consumer demand."
In support of this transition, the commission's merchandising team has developed new point-of-sale materials to help retailers identify the California avocado displays for their customers. In addition to California avocado grower-themed header cards and channel strips, the commission has created a new high-graphic display bin that will identify the fruit as "Hand Grown in California."
"This new display bin has been very well received," Ms. DeLyser added in the press release. "Retailers who set up the bins in time for Cinco de Mayo will have the advantage of creating a strong avocado section for this high- consumption holiday and will have an excellent display vehicle throughout the California avocado season."
The commission's promotion plans include public relations outreach featuring celebrity chefs, an extensive on-line campaign and strong in-store merchandising support.
"Cinco de Mayo is the second-biggest avocado consumption occasion of the year, with nearly 54 million pounds of avocados expected to be consumed during the festive period," Jan DeLyser, the commission's vice president of marketing, said in a press release. "We've augmented our ground-breaking California avocado growers advertising campaign with Cinco de Mayo- focused promotions to encourage continued growth of consumer demand for fresh California avocados."
To help inspire Cinco de Mayo party hosts, California celebrity chefs and restaurateurs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger have teamed with the commission to create delicious avocado recipes that celebrate the holiday with Latin flair, while highlighting the California avocado's unique flavor. Ms. Milliken and Ms. Feniger are owners of the critically acclaimed Border Grill restaurants in Santa Monica, CA, and Las Vegas, NV, as well as Ciudad in downtown Los Angeles.
Through intensive outreach to broadcast television, radio, syndicated food columnists and food editors, the commission's public relations team is helping to bring the celebrity chefs' California avocado recipe ideas to millions of consumers across the country.
On-line activity is another key component of the commission's Cinco de Mayo campaign. Through May 6, CaliforniaAvocado.com is featuring a micro site titled "Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with California Avocados." The micro site includes California avocado recipes and party tips, along with an opportunity for consumers to share their own guacamole recipes. Banner advertising on the popular web site allrecipes.com is expected to garner more than 450,000 impressions and encourage consumers to visit the micro site. In addition, the commission will send out more than 60,000 Cinco de Mayo-themed recipe e-mails to California avocado recipe fans.
"Key retailers who have not already done so are using the week before Cinco de Mayo as their 'line in the sand' for transitioning to California avocados," Bradley Miles, who grows avocados in Carpinteria, CA, with his wife Emily, a fourth-generation California avocado grower, added in the press release. "April's warm weather has brought on the size of the fruit as well as increased consumer demand."
In support of this transition, the commission's merchandising team has developed new point-of-sale materials to help retailers identify the California avocado displays for their customers. In addition to California avocado grower-themed header cards and channel strips, the commission has created a new high-graphic display bin that will identify the fruit as "Hand Grown in California."
"This new display bin has been very well received," Ms. DeLyser added in the press release. "Retailers who set up the bins in time for Cinco de Mayo will have the advantage of creating a strong avocado section for this high- consumption holiday and will have an excellent display vehicle throughout the California avocado season."
