Hass Avocado, Montana Reteam for Big Game Push

In the expectation that 69.6 million pounds of Hass avocados will be eaten during this year’s Big Game Day festivities, the Hass Avocado Board (HAB) has launched a marketing campaign to further spur shopper purchases of the popular dip base leading up to and during the key sales period. To ensure its goal of higher profits, HAB has again recruited football legend Joe Montana as the program’s spokesman.

“Guacamole and football go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that the Big Game is one of the biggest consumption days of the year for Hass avocados,” noted Jose Luis Obregon, executive director of Irvine, Calif.-based HAB. “This is our sixth year implementing a program in support of Big Game, and each year we continue to build on the previous year’s success to further encourage consumer demand of the fruit. Through consistent marketing support by the Hass avocado industry and retailers, Hass avocados have become a staple in Big Game menus.”

Montana collaborated with HAB on another signature guacamole recipe – Joe Montana’s Tomatillo Touchdown Guacamole – that is being distributed to consumer media across the country. He’ll also give interviews with top-tier sports media on-site in Dallas, the site of the Big Game, in the days before kickoff.

To help consumers plan memorable Big Game parties featuring Hass avocados, HAB’s consumer website will provide lots of recipes and tips for holding a successful event. Additionally, a Big Game micro site will offer Montana’s new guacamole recipe, in addition to other game-day-themed creations. Avocado fans will also be able to devise their own “recipe playbooks,” in which they can keep all of their game-day recipes in one place, with the option to share recipes with friends via social media.

Additional program components include online advertising before the Big Game to capture traffic of consumers in search of recipes and party planning ideas. HAB will also remind consumers to pick up Hass avocados at the store though a themed recipe e-newsletter sent this month to more than 50,000 fans.

Established in 2002 after approval by producers and importers of Hass avocados in a national referendum, HAB encompasses more than 20,000 producers and 100 importers of fresh domestic and imported Hass avocados sold in the U.S. market.