IRVINE, Calif. (December 5, 2007) – Working to add a new shade of green to consumers’ holiday menus, the Hass Avocado Board (HAB) has launched an integrated marketing initiative encouraging consumers to incorporate avocados into their December holiday meals.
“We want consumers to think of avocados beyond just guacamole,” said Jose Luis Obregon, managing director of the Hass Avocado Board. “Hass avocados are the perfect complement to holiday dishes, easily adding delicious flavor to a variety of traditional holiday favorites. We’ve put together a holistic marketing effort to reach consumers with this message where they live, work and shop.”
HAB’s multi-faceted, multi-platform winter holidays campaign includes a comprehensive advertising flight, with television spots airing on the Food Network and in-store radio spots running in retail chains across the country. The holiday-themed ads offer unique suggestions on how to use Hass avocados in new ways throughout the holiday season.
“The opportunity for the produce department to encourage sales of Hass avocados during the holiday season is very strong. HAB’s merchandising team has tools retailers can use to support these efforts, including holiday point-of-purchase case cards, recipe concepts for cooking demonstrations, newsletters and flyers,” said Obregon.
Public relations efforts for the campaign include the distribution of two new holiday-oriented recipes “Holiday Hass Avocado and Au Gratin Potatoes” and “Holiday Vegetable and Hass Avocado Sauté.” Both will be distributed to media nationwide in a holiday-themed press package.
Executive chef and co-owner of East Coast Grill and Raw Bar in Cambridge, MA, Chris Schlesinger, will serve as a media spokesperson for HAB’s holiday program. In support of the promotional effort, Schlesinger has developed a recipe featuring Hass avocados that is perfect for holiday leftovers and uses a variety of produce — “Turkey and Black Bean Chili with Hass Avocado Salsa.” This recipe will be featured in a mat release to be distributed to community papers nationwide.
HAB also is outreaching to the foodservice media, by conducting a separate media effort aimed at key editors. Foodservice media will be receiving a holiday-themed mailer, which will include a CD with Hass avocado recipes appropriate for the winter holidays, along with a special shipment of fresh Hass avocados.
All of HAB’s holiday promotional efforts will highlight loveonetoday.com as a resource where consumers and media can find additional avocado information, recipes and images. HAB also will direct traffic to the site through holiday-themed e-mail newsletters that will include Hass avocado recipes and holiday entertaining tips. The Website will feature recipes for five avocado-centric holiday dishes.
About the Hass Avocado Board
The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) was established in 2002 to promote the consumption of Hass avocados in the United States. A 12-member board representing domestic producers and importers of Hass avocados directs the HAB’s promotion, research and information programs under supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture. Hass avocados are grown in California and imported into the US from Mexico, Chile, Peru, Dominican Republic and New Zealand.
