Joe Montana To Serve As Spokesman For HAB's Big Game Campaign

by Jillian McMenamin, GolinHarris
Posted: Friday, December 18, 2009 at 12:20PM EST

Irvine, Calif. (December 15, 2009) –The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) estimates that 80 million pounds of Hass avocados will be consumed during this year’s Big Game festivities. To further encourage consumer purchases of avocados leading up to and during this key sales period, HAB is implementing a marketing campaign that features football legend Joe Montana and highlights how consumers can plan Big Game party menus that incorporate Hass avocados.

“HAB’s promotional efforts around Big Game, continue to increase consumer demand for Hass avocados,” said Jose Luis Obregon, managing director of HAB. “For the past three years, US avocado sales have outsold other produce sales by more than six percent each year during the weeks leading up to the Big Game when consumers are planning their party menus. Our industry has succeeded in making Hass avocados a staple ingredient in Big Game foods and this year we will be encouraging additional consumption of the fruit in the period leading up to the game and during the big event.”

This year, HAB is partnering with legendary NFL® quarterback and four-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana, who will serve as the official spokesperson for the Big Game campaign. Montana has worked with HAB to develop a signature guacamole recipe – Joe Montana’s Nacho Guacamole – that is being distributed to consumer media nationwide. On behalf of HAB, he also will participate in interviews with top-tier sports media on-site in Miami (the location of the Big Game) in the days leading up to the championship game.

Montana’s involvement with HAB will be promoted not only through the media, but also on a Big Game micro site on HAB’s consumer Web site at avocadocentral.com/biggame. The site will serve as a resource for consumers planning their Big Game parties and will feature Montana’s signature guacamole recipe along with a number of other game day recipes. Visitors to the site will be able to enter a sweepstakes to win one of 10 footballs signed by the football great and a $500 grocery gift card, and they will have the opportunity to create a “recipe playbook,” so they can store their game plan of Big Game recipes in one location. Traffic will be driven to the site through promotion at retail, incorporation in media placements, inclusion in HAB’s subscriber e-newsletter and online advertising efforts.

HAB’s merchandising team will expand the promotional efforts at the retail level by offering Big Game -themed point-of-purchase materials to retailers to encourage consumer purchases of Hass avocados. These materials are available to order at avoHQ.com/research-marketing/pos-order-form.

HAB also will be outreaching to foodservice operators to encourage them to incorporate Hass avocados into their menus leading up to the Big Game. HAB will offer foodservice menu ideas that tie into the Big Game, as well as promotional tips on the HAB foodservice site avocadocentral.com/foodservice.

Source: Hass Avocado Board