Continuous promotional campaigns for avocados and collaboration between major producing countries on promotion were key themes recurring throughout the sixth World Avocado Congress, in Viña del Mar, Chile.
During the four-day congress, several speakers proposed year-round campaigns for avocados in key markets, which essentially would mean promotion ‘without a second name’; ie, with no attachment to country of origin - or even, said one South African delegate, without reference to variety.
Collaboration between producer countries on such generic promotion of avocados moved closer during the congress, where the seventh meeting of the Avocado Marketing And Promotion Working Group (AMAPWG) took place.
The organisation, which formed at the avocado congress held in Mexico in 1999, saw representatives of 12 major producing nations agree, in principle, to work together to seek joint promotion and potentially to fund year-round campaigns in key markets, particularly in Europe.
A sub-committee of representatives from the Chilean, South African, Peruvian, Israeli and Spanish avocado industries was formed and will submit a proposal to AMAPWG members in advance of the group’s next meeting, at Fruit Logistica in February next year.
Presenting the Chilean Hass Avocado Association’s UK campaign, president Adolfo Ochagavía said promotional work during Chile’s season had underpinned growth in the country’s exports to the UK from 3,768 tonnes in 2004-05 to 7,200t just two years later.
“Constant promotion is essential,” he said. “If we want to keep up the progress, we must keep avocado in people’s minds with promotion.”
Presentations from the US, where the annual promotional spend on avocados is several million dollars; Mexico, which flags itself as the ‘birthplace of the avocado’; or Australia, whose Add an Avo campaign has succeeded in driving an impressive 89 per cent penetration, highlighted the need for specific promotional messages for each market.
