WASHINGTON, May 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- The Peruvian Avocado Commission (PAC) is
gearing up for the most successful season to-date! Following the
FDA's confirmation that avocados are a heart-healthy superfood, in
May, Avocados from Peru received
the healthy Heart-Check mark from the American Heart Association.
With heart disease being a leading cause of death in both women and
men in the U.S., the valuable Heart-Check mark has served as a
trusted resource for consumers. By including the heart-check
mark in AFP's marketing efforts it will help to promote the
nutritional benefits of avocados, and to educate consumers about
healthy dietary fats.
"As the new chairman of the Peruvian Avocado Commission, I am
extremely pleased with the recent developments and positive focus
on the nutrition attributes of Hass avocados. PAC has been a
leading advocate for these measures and will continue paving the
path during the new season within the health and beauty industry to
showcase how avocados can benefit overall health and wellness for
the body!" said Jose Antonio Castro,
Chairman of PAC.
Starting in early June, PAC will deliver Summer fresh Avocados
from Peru to retailers
nationwide. Peruvian avocados have their peak season during
the summer months and this year, over 150 million pounds of
Peruvian avocados are projected to be imported into the United States from June to September.
"With avocados being America's favorite superfood, we expect the
consumption of avocados to continue rising this summer, which is
great because this is our largest crop to-date," said Xavier Equihua, CEO and President of PAC.
"Our primary goal this season is to supply the U.S. with
top-quality fruit during the peak summer season, and to educate the
public about the wonderful health benefits of Peruvian
Avocados."
In addition to showcasing the beneficial nutrients that occur
naturally in Avocados from Peru,
the commission plans to partner with other Peruvian superfoods like
blueberries, quinoa and asparagus to create synergistic promotional
campaigns.
Kicking-off the season with a splash, Avocados from Peru (AFP) will partner with Walmart stores to
participate in their annual Wellness Day on Saturday, June
17. Over 800 stores will feature and demo a superfood rich
avocado and blueberry smoothie, made with fresh Avocados from
Peru, blueberries, banana, spinach
leaves, almond milk and Greek yogurt. Walmart will continue
to demo delicious AFP recipes throughout the summer including a
refreshing avocado peach crostini. To help promote demo days
and help drive store traffic, AFP has created a targeted
Geo-Fencing mobile program that will activate within 5 miles around
key stores. Additionally, demos will also be taking
place at Costco stores throughout the summer.
Also launching the summer season, AFP will run a promotion with
CBS Radio and feature the Avo-Dog at the Baltimore Orioles stadium
during 4th of July week. Fans can enjoy avocado themed food while
cheering on their favorite team this summer.
AFP's 2017 robust marketing program introduces an experiential
three-month long campaign that includes high-profile partnerships;
increased trade and consumer advertising; an expanded menu of
retailer support and incentive programs; and more opportunities to
engage directly with consumers through social media
initiatives.
TRADE SUPPORT
With increased marketing support and a large volume of fresh
avocados imported from Peru, PAC
is, once again, offering produce managers a greater variety of
tools to merchandise the popular summer fruit.
- Co-branded newspaper ads and bus wraps.
- Bins with bold graphics featuring the signature AFP Machu
Picchu brand image.
- Funding for IRC's.
- Funding for demos taking place during the summer including the
week leading up to the important Fourth of
July holiday.
- New complimentary content for social media.
CONSUMER TACTICS
This year AFP is launching a strong consumer outreach program,
highlights include:
- In a first for the category, AFP will run retailer co-branded
ads in Vogue, Vanity Fair and Women's Health, communicating that
Avocados from Peru are a key part
of a health and beauty regimen.
- A re-launch of the digital AFP cookbook with mouth-watering
recipes designed to promote delicious ways to enjoy avocados from
Peru.
- Radio spots throughout the summer in key cities, reminding
consumers that
- Avocados from Peru will add
the certified heart-healthy check mark by the American Heart
Association to all marketing elements.
- Radio stations will run contests around Father's Day and July
4th asking listeners to send in their best Avocados from
Peru summer picnic and grilling
recipes, with the winners receiving AFP prize packages.
- A continued partnership with AFP's Global Ambassadors. AFP will
partner with leading chefs, the President of Peru, and Peruvian Trade Commission, including
a co-sponsorship with PromPeru of an event at the National Museum
of the American Indian in Washington
DC.
- Digital advertising featuring a series of videos highlighting
Peru as "the land of
superfoods".
- Next installment of the collaboration with AFP's global
ambassador Fooddeco, with new themed series' and recipes.
- Consumers in select cities may also see buses wrapped as a
larger-than-life full-color billboard featuring the picturesque
landscape of Peru and of course,
delicious Avocados from Peru.
All 2017 AFP marketing promotions will be supported by a
strategic and engaging social media campaign. Facebook, Instagram,
Pinterest and Twitter will provide the growing PAC fan base with
inspirational reasons to select avocados from Peru including new recipes, photographs and
opportunities to share cool avo-tips. Additionally, AFP's
evolving website, providing engaging and informative content along
with AVOMAG, will be constantly updated to help keep avocados top
of mind during season.
The exciting line-up for the 2017 initiatives, each
complementing each other, will continue to strengthen AFP's
position as the peak summer avocado for consumers and retailers
across the country. To find more information about Avocados from
Peru, or for heart-healthy
Peruvian Avocado recipes, visit: www.avocadosfromperu.com, or click
here to download a free copy of the Avocados from Peru
Cookbook.
ABOUT THE PERUVIAN AVOCADO COMMISSION
The Peruvian
Avocado Commission (PAC) is headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was established in 2011 to
increase the consumption/demand for Avocados from Peru through advertising, retail promotion and
public relations. The PAC's promotional activities are conducted
under the guidelines of the Federal Promotion Program for Hass
Avocados, which is under the oversight of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
For more information about the PAC please
visit www.avocadosfromperu.com or
email info@avocadosfromperu.com.
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SOURCE Peruvian Avocado Commission