A snapshot of the 2023/24 avocado domestic marketing campaign

Hort Innovation is responsible for investing the avocado marketing levy into a range of activities to drive awareness and consideration in domestic markets. Here is a quick look at what happened during 2023/24… 

The avocado marketing plan’s vision is to create a globally competitive and trusted avocado industry. Underpinning that vision is the aim of increasing domestic consumption of avocados to 150,000 tonnes by 2026 at profitable farm gate prices. To do that, the consumer goal is to increase household penetration of light buyers in all markets 

The marketing plan has three strategic pillars:  

1. Cement the core proposition locally and globally – drive top of mind awareness and consideration of Australian avocados.
2. Education and foodservice – create better eating experiences of avocados through education.
3. Own everyday meal occasions – inspire people to eat avocados across everyday meal occasions. 

Insights that drove our thinking 

• Scope to grow. Only 41 per cent of households purchased avocados in the past four weeks, compared to 71 per cent in the last six months, and 78 per cent in the last year, indicating the opportunity to increase purchases in Australian households.  

• Top of mind awareness is low for avocados when compared to other fruits and vegetables. Eight per cent of consumers spontaneously think of avocados compared to compared to 64 per cent for apples or 33 per cent for broccoli. However, when prompted, awareness is similar to bananas (50 per cent), with potential for growth. 

• Light buyers are an opportunity. Light buyers make up 51 per cent of the market but only 15 per cent of avocados sold, purchasing avocados about six times a year, compared to 33 times for frequent buyers. 

What the campaign looked like in market 

The ‘Our Green Gold’ campaign continued in 2023/24 with both inspirational and educational messaging across various mediums to encourage Australians to "take home Our Green Gold". The media strategy focused on building an emotional connection to drive consideration and purchases for Australian avocados. This involved a wide range of activities including outdoor advertising displays across metropolitan and regional markets, a strong social media presence, radio and YouTube and retail media (such as front of store panels and online on Woolworths and Coles websites). 

As part of social media activities, Australian Avocados partnered with influencers, such as the @fruitnerd, to create recipe and educational content with top-tier creators on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.  

Additionally, partnerships with notable personalities like chef Luke Hines, highlighted the Shepard Avocado season and inspired Australians to use avocados in various meals. 

A standout moment was the ‘Avo King’ public relations campaign, where a footy fan’s avocado-eating moment at an AFL pre-season match went viral, leading to a nationwide search on social media for the ‘Avo King’, generating massive buzz and engagement across the country. 

What did we achieve? 

• The ‘Our Green Gold’ campaign reached over eight million consumers in outdoor advertising and achieved 56.87 million impressions on social media. Online retail media successfully captivated new customers and achieved sales through partnerships with Woolworths and Coles. 

• The ‘Avo King’ campaign was a public relations success story, reaching a potential 14 million Australians through various media outlets, including national television, social media, and online platforms. 

• Branded collaborations, including the collaboration with Tassal Salmon resulted in $1.59 million in sales, with extensive in-store and online promotion. Successfully increasing awareness, consideration, and purchase intent for Australian avocados, leveraging a mix of traditional and digital media strategies to connect with consumers and drive demand. 

• Australian Avocados generated 62 pieces of coverage, reaching 3.46 million people with 100 per cent positive sentiment, with media highlighting key messages about the unique qualities of Shepard avocados.