IRVINE, Calif. – For the California Avocado Commission, social media outreach is one of its most effective means of engaging with its target consumer audience. In its pre-season the Commission uses social to build anticipation that California avocados will soon be available. In-season messaging works to build brand affinity and complement retail and foodservice custom marketing support, and post season activity maintains brand awareness. Since the start of CAC’s 2021-22 fiscal year (November 1, 2021), social content posted on California avocado social pages has yielded more than 13.5 million impressions. Partnership content created in collaboration with the California Avocado Commission and shared by popular TikTok influencers has yielded an additional 14.7 million potential impressions.
“Social media is a vital part of the Commission’s marketing plan,” said Jan DeLyser, Commission vice president marketing. “It’s an effective way to reach targeted consumers on the various platforms they prefer, emerging the brand in cultural moments and building demand and loyalty.”
The Commission launched its TikTok channel on April 6 this year to engage with a younger consumer base that flocks to the video-centric social media. To stand out from other content, CAC created a tongue-in-cheek Avo-Zen video that featured an avocado meditating in a California avocado grove. Two subsequent California Avo-Zen videos followed on TikTok. Through July 12, CAC’s TikTok posts yielded 6,800 views.
The spark excitement for CAC’s newly launched TikTok presence, the Commission partnered with Kelz, a social media influencer with more than 5.8 million followers. Kelz focuses on reviewing recipe videos and is known for his candid and entertaining reactions to recipe content. The Commission released on TikTok its Road Trip recipe “Redwoods” video, which features preparation of a California avocado recipe in the middle of a state forest, and a week later Kelz posted a duet of the same video on his personal TikTok platform. The collaborative duet with Kelz has yielded more than 112,000 views and more than 13,500 engagements to date.
The Commission also partnered with celebrity chef and TikTok influencers Owen Han (2.8 million followers) and H. Woo Lee (1.1 million followers) on a social content series, “The Farmers Market Showdown.” The duo went to two farmers’ markets in Los Angeles – one in Hollywood for a land theme and one in Venice for a sea theme – to create recipes featuring the best of California’s produce, and of course, California avocados. The Hollywood videos posted on Owen and H Woo’s social channels in mid and late June. With just a short time since the videos launched, they already have generated more than 2,300,000 views and 220,000 engagements, reaching nearly 9 million potential consumers.
The Commission’s established social media channels — Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter — also feature content to keep California avocados top of mind. While the fruit is in season, shared posts and those promoted through paid media encourage consumers to look for California avocados in stores and explore the Store Locator landing page to easily locate California avocados nearby. In summer, Twitter ads drive key in-season messaging.
“Encouraging consumers to find California avocados at our retail and foodservice partners’ locations is a key component CAC’s social outreach,” said DeLyser. “By sharing relevant and engaging content, and then pointing directly to the places where California avocados can be purchased, we support our customers while building consumer brand loyalty.”
California avocado social posts are customized for pre-season and in-season time periods. In addition to California avocado in-season messaging, the Commission’s social outreach includes recipe content, how-to content and merchandise support.
Consumers are very engaged with California avocado social activity. This season there have been 91,000 link clicks, 353,000 video views and more than 76,700 social engagements with California avocado content on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. Twitter content has secured more than 851,000 impressions. These engagement measures do not include influencer and brand advocate content on their own channels in support of California avocados.
About the California Avocado Commission
Created in 1978, the California Avocado Commission strives to enhance the premium positioning of California avocados through advertising, promotion and public relations, and engages in related industry activities. California avocados are cultivated with uncompromising dedication to quality and freshness, by about 3,000 growers in the Golden State. The California Avocado Commission serves as the official information source for California avocados and the California avocado industry. Visit CaliforniaAvocado.com, join us at Facebook.com/CaliforniaAvocados and @CA_Avocados on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, follow the California Avocado Commission page on LinkedIn or shop for California avocado merchandise at Shop.CaliforniaAvocado.com.
