Apr 9 2009

More than 100 Million Avocados to be Consumed during Celebrations

Irvine, Calif. (April 9, 2009) — The 2009 California avocado season will be hitting full stride just in time for this year’s Cinco de Mayo festivities, and the California Avocado Commission (CAC) has put together a creative promotion plan to encourage avocado consumption around the May 5 celebration. Celebrity chefs, mouth-watering avocado recipes, public relations efforts and extensive online outreach will position California avocados top of mind for consumers.

“With this year’s light California avocado volume availability, the Commission’s marketing programs will target the Western U.S. from late April through early September,” said Jan DeLyser, CAC vice president of marketing. “The integrated marketing program is timed to kick off leading into Cinco de Mayo, one of the top two eating events for avocados, with this year’s consumption expected to be just over 51 million pounds.”

CAC has tapped California celebrity chefs and restaurateurs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, known as the Too Hot Tamales, to develop new California avocado-centric recipes and serve as the program’s spokespeople. Through media interviews, national print media outreach and a radio news release, the chefs will discuss the popularity of California avocados for Cinco de Mayo entertaining, and also offer quick tips on how to eat avocados in their simplest form to encourage consumers’ use of avocados beyond guacamole. Milliken and Feniger are owners of the critically acclaimed Border Grill restaurants in Santa Monica, Calif., and Las Vegas, Nev., as well as Ciudad in downtown Los Angeles.

CAC will also conduct broadcast television outreach to promote fresh California avocados in conjunction with Cinco de Mayo.

The internet will play a key role in CAC’s Cinco de Mayo promotion. An online micro site with the theme “Fiesta Flavors with Fresh California Avocados” will shine the spotlight on avocados as the centerpiece of Cinco de Mayo entertaining. Recipes will feature fresh ingredients and culinary inspirations, including creations from the Too Hot Tamales. The micro site will be promoted by search engine marketing and online advertising. In addition CAC will promote Cinco de Mayo consumption of California avocados via e-mail outreach to nearly 60,000 of its recipe e-mail fans.

“Last year CAC’s public relations outreach alone garnered more than 130 million consumer impressions,” said DeLyser. “Research indicates that to date, consumers are continuing to buy avocados despite the downturn in the economy. In fact, avocados are one of the top five fastest-growing produce categories in both volume and dollar sales year-to-date, with a dollar increase of more than 9%. We anticipate that CAC’s integrated marketing campaign, in support of Cinco de Mayo, will encourage consumers to add California avocados to their shopping baskets this year.”

About the California Avocado Commission
Created in 1978, the California Avocado Commission strives to increase demand for California avocados through advertising, promotion and public relations, and engages in related industry activities that benefit the state's 6,000 avocado growers. The California Avocado Commission serves as the official information source for California avocados and the California avocado industry.