U.S. SUPERMARKETS SUCCESSFULLY PROMOTING CHILEAN AVOCADOS
Aptos, Calif. (Dec. 1, 2009) --With the close of 2009 bringing abundant, high-quality Chilean Hass avocados, U.S. retailers across the country are using the Chilean Avocado Importers Association's (CAIA) eye-catching, in-store promotional materials and comprehensive marketing program to drive increased sales in the produce department.
"Our Chilean Hass avocado promotion has been an absolute home run for us as we garnered double digit sales increases," said Steve Williams, director of produce, Sweetbay Supermarket. "The point-of-sale materials (POS) and consumer touch points were great, very creative. I am really proud of our produce managers, merchandisers and store managers because they creatively and effectively promoted Chilean avocados through beautiful in-store displays."
As part of the partnership with Sweetbay, CAIA conducted an avocado display contest. Approximately 90% of 104 stores participated with creative and elaborate displays. The winning displays were unrestricted, easily accessible and contained other items that complement avocados. Produce manager Mark Every was awarded the grand prize--a cash prize and a special dinner with Food Network star Ingrid Hoffman and top Sweetbay executives in Tampa, Fla., where he resides.
The 104-store chain, Sweetbay Supermarket, and other corporate and family-owned retailers across the country have implemented CAIA-produced POS materials in their produce departments. In fact, several CAIA consumer-focused campaigns have retail in-store signage components, allowing retailers to choose among them based on their customer demographic.
"The importance of CAIA's relationship with retailers is two-fold," said Maggie Bezart, director of marketing, CAIA. "Not only is it a very important cornerstone to CAIA's success in marketing efforts to effectively increase U.S.-based consumer demand and consumption of Hass Avocados from Chile, but it is also key for our retail partners to use our specially developed materials to generate increased sales of Chilean Hass avocados in their stores."
CAIA's "Grab Some for the Game" promotion targets sports fans and their families, while the Chilean Avocado Lovers Club campaign targets adults over 18 hoping to win one of 60 grand prizes of $250 in free groceries.
The "Grab Some for the Game" campaign successfully captures the attention of sports fans preparing for game-day festivities with signage and an avocado display bin cleverly featuring a football or soccer ball inside an image of an avocado half. Retailers are encouraged to submit photos of their displays with CAIA POS to enter for a chance to win a first, second, or third place prize in each of CAIA's four U.S. merchandising regions. CAIA will also recommend its winners for entry in the United Fresh Produce Association's Produce Manager of the Year Award.
The "Chilean Avocado Lovers Club" POS incorporates a groovy, avocado green logo and the opportunity for shoppers to enter the club's "So Good, So Many Ways Random Drawing." Brand-new, in-store display bins storing handy ripening bags for consumers' home use are the perfect complement to any produce department. The bins have information about entering the contest, its prizes, and a colorful sweepstakes entry pad for easy submission. More than 5,000 entries have been submitted to date for the contest, which will continue through February 2010.
Winners will be randomly selected and notified by telephone or email no later than March 15, 2010. Sixty lucky winners will each receive a $250 supermarket gift card Grand Prize. Two hundred additional winners will each receive an official Chilean Avocado Importers Association/American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) Soccer Ball runner-up prize. Entries will be accepted online through the Chilean Avocado Lovers Club Web site, www.chileanavocadoloversclub.com, and via direct mail.
For more information about CAIA's current retail in-store promotional materials, visit www.chileanavocados.org or contact one of the regional merchandising team members listed on CAIA's Web site at www.chileanavocados.org/retail/merchandising-team/.
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