California Avocado Social Media Makes a Late Summer Splash
Every year, the California Avocado Commission ramps up social media activity during peak season, but these efforts saw especially high returns this July and August. On-trend social content garnered record-setting views and engagement.
- California avocado social content earned a record-setting 20 million plus social media impressions and 612,000 engagements in July and August.
- CAC adjusted its YouTube strategy by prioritizing YouTube short videos, which drove a 1000% plus increase in clicks to the consumer website compared to last year.
- Facebook lead generation ads — designed to collect email addresses to be added to CAC’s newsletter subscriber list — resulted in 630 new email subscribers in July alone, a 2525% year-over-year increase compared to July 2024.
California Avocados Take Center Stage in Retailer Social Media Campaigns
Two key retailers — Mollie Stone's Markets and Gelson's Markets — partnered with the California Avocado Commission to spotlight California avocados in promotional contests and social media giveaways last month. Both retailers offered exciting prize packages including Blackstone griddles and boxes of fresh California avocados to lucky winners. The campaigns helped build engagement and awareness for California avocados during peak season.
Gelson's also ran a campaign featuring the Lyall family, providing consumers with a glimpse of the dedicated growers behind sustainably farmed California avocados.
California Avocados Goes to School and Takes on a Job
In August, the California Avocado Commission visited the UCLA campus and the San Jose business campus of Cisco — a networking solution firm in San Jose, California — to meet with foodservice teams and demonstrate how to use California avocados to build flavors in innovative dishes. The visits resulted in acquisition of new California avocado sales to these businesses.
On both campuses, the CAC team met with approximately 10-15 foodservice chefs and managers and paired California avocados with spices to showcase how the flavor and fat of an avocado can create memorable flavors. The team also demonstrated how to determine the ripeness of an avocado and properly store and handle the fruit. Each session culminated in a culinary competition challenging attendees to present unique and flavorful California avocado dishes and beverages. Dishes ranged from an Eggless Nog, Chile Relleno stuffed with California Avocado, a Stuffed California Avocado Relleno and a Vegetarian Style Banh Mi Sandwich.
The foodservice team spent an additional day at Cisco serving samples of California Avocado Chocolate Parfait and Grilled California Avocado Escabeche to employees. The CAC team also spoke with Cisco employees about what makes the locally grown fruit unique, its seasonal nature, the dedicated California avocado growers and the California avocado growing regions, to expand their knowledge of why California avocados are premium and flavorful.
Building Retail Awareness Ahead of IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show
To build awareness of its presence at the upcoming International Fresh Produce Association Global Produce and Floral Show in Anaheim, the California Avocado Commission’s retail trade advertising campaign continues in September and October. Throughout the season, the program is projected to exceed 23 million impressions. The Commission’s new retail newsletter, which has generated an above-average open rate of 25% and a click-through rate of 7%, kept retailers abreast of CAC's retail programs and encouraged them to visit the Commission’s Global Produce and Floral Show booth.
