Commission’s Brand Advocates Garner Nearly 1.3 Million Impressions

This season, the California Avocado Commission partnered with five influential brand advocates to reach likeminded audiences and consumers via engaging recipes, blog posts, photography and social media posts celebrating the Golden State fruit. The content, which was published throughout May and June, helped drive awareness about California avocados and their versatility while encouraging demand for the fruit and loyalty to the brand.

The Commission’s brand advocates were chosen based on their significant social media influence, the large viewership on their blog channels and their ability to generate vibrant content that would pique the interest of the Commission’s targeted consumers. The brand advocates included Adam Merrin and Ryan Alvarez of Husbands that Cook, Ashley Hankins of Eat Figs, Not Pigs, Hannah Kling of Lovely Delites, Kristina Cho of Eat Cho Food and Remy Park of Veggiekins. To generate excitement for the fruit during peak season, each of the advocates produced fresh California avocado-themed content and published it on their individual blog pages and social media channels. In addition, they tagged California avocados on their social channels to increase brand visibility in accordance with Federal Trade Commission partnership guidelines.

The Commission provided specific themes each month to assist the brand advocates with ideating creative and unique recipes that highlighted the versatility of the fruit. To engage and educate their combined 1.5 million-plus followers, the advocates produced and shared recipes around a “Date Night” theme in May and a “Boardwalk Bites” seasonal theme in June. The recipes, and the captivating photography that accompanied them, were shared across the influencers’ digital channels.

For example, in May Remy Park of Veggiekins whipped up a California Avocado Lime “Cheesecake.” This vibrant green dairy-free cheesecake was made with a base of avocados and cashews, flavored with lime and nestled within a nut/seed-based crust. An added bonus for California avocado fans is that this decadent dessert requires no baking and sets in the freezer. Hannah Kling of Lovely Delites crafted the perfect date-night treat — fluffy and fudgy Chocolate Avocado Donuts topped with a light, creamy and delicious California Avocado Buttercream Frosting.

Influencer marketing is effective in reaching the Commissions’ targeted audiences because consumers trust and admire their favorite influencers and are more likely to mimic their consumer habits and follow their suggestions. Because each brand advocate differs in audience following, background and personality, the Commission was able to reach a diverse audience, credibly educate them about the seasonal availability of California avocados, demonstrate the fruit’s versatility and encourage them to look for California on the label when shopping. In total, the Commission’s brand advocates garnered nearly 1.3 million impressions through their blogs and social content.