Washington, DC/Berlin/Paris/London – Close to 200 avocado producers, exporters and importers from more than 20 countries met on the eve of “Fruit Logistica” at the Ritz Carlton Berlin to participate in the annual meeting of the World Avocado Organization (WAO). During the meeting members reviewed the most successful year for avocados in Europe and set the stage for continued growth in the years to come. In 2017, WAO launched the first-ever generic branding initiative for an agricultural product. Using the newly-created branding “Avocado – The Fruit of Life” along with a comprehensive set of assets and tactics, WAO embarked on a pan-European campaign, working in nine countries.
First-ever Branding Campaign for an Agricultural Product
The campaign involved leading European retailers such as Carrefour, Lidl, Tesco, Costco, Edeka and ICA as well as innovative food service companies like HelloFresh and Zizzi of the UK and Kochhaus and Vapiano of Germany. The campaign was further boosted by public relations and social media activities. WAO has galvanized a fervent audience of avocado fans online with its “Avocado – The Fruit of Life” accounts, creating a pan-European online brand that has reached an audience of millions in its first year. Tapping directly into the culinary zeitgeist, the “Avocado – The Fruit of Life” platforms dedicated to UK, French and German audiences have become a destination for cultural commentary, humour, news, recipes inspiration and health facts delivered in a way designed for a social media audience.
Avocado Boom in Europe, Enhanced Role for the Global Avocado Category
Sales of Europe’s favourite superfood have grown phenomenally during the last couple of years, resting with 463 million kg in 2017. “This means that while in 2016 the European avocado consumption amounted to 400 million kg, 2017 saw an increase of almost 16 %,”states Zac Bard, the newly appointed Chairman of WAO.
Not only consumption figures are growing but also the non-profit organization itself: In October 2017, Zimbabwe and Tanzania joined WAO, strengthening the organization’s footprint in Africa as South Africa is already a founding member. The new African members document an important trend in the global avocado market: African producers and exporters have massively grown in their importance as a source for the European market.
WAO Transforms London’s Iconic Buses and Cabs and Amsterdam’s Signature Trams
After London saw its iconic red buses and black cabs transformed into WAO-branded vehicles taking customers across the city as part of the partnership with Tesco and Costco, the wrapping of public transportation icons continued in November 2017: In Amsterdam WAO-branded trams brightened up journeys for commuters and tourists alike. On this occasion, WAO also held a media event in cooperation with internationally renowned food- stylist and avocado lover Colette Dike in the world’s first avocado-themed restaurant, The Avocado Show. The Avocado Art Breakfast became Amsterdam’s media highlight of the winter.
Pan-European Partnerships with Renowned Fresh Food Chains
Avocado art dinners, supper clubs and avocado breakfasts have been a main part of WAO’s partnerships with renowned food chains across Europe. In London, WAO partnered up with the international food delivery service HelloFresh on the occasion of an exclusive avocado-themed supper club. WAO together with Zizzi’s, one of the biggest UK-based Italian restaurant chains, just brought the first-ever avocado-themed pizza to the UK. Paris dedicated a week to its favourite superfood by introducing the “Jambon Avocat,” a redefinition of the beloved French sandwich icon “jambon-beurre”, replacing butter with avocados. In Germany, WAO launched an exclusive avocado recipe together with Kochhaus and on February 12, on the occasion of their monthly „Ladies Night”, Vapiano was partnering up with WAO to supply all German restaurants with a special avocado topping as well as goody bags for all customers.
“Triumph of the Avocado” – Leading European Business, Marketing and Daily Media
The successful activation of the first pan-European marketing campaign for avocados has also been reflected in widespread media coverage throughout Europe. Leading top-tier daily newspapers and magazines from the marketing, business, lifestyle and health sectors have covered the success of WAO in detail, including The Guardian, Evening Standard, The Times, Daily Mail, The Grocer, Glamour,Yahoo.co,uk, Womenshealthmag.co.uk, NH Dagblad, Telegraaf, Women Online, Metro, Les Marchées, Lebensmittel Zeitung, Horizont and Werben&Verkaufen. The Sunday edition of Germany’s top-tier quality paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung even dedicated a full-page article to the “triumph of the avocado”.
An Unprecedented Campaign for an Agricultural Product
Few if any agricultural products have been able to implement such a robust pan-European marketing campaign like WAO has in less than 10 months. WAO has also created the first global generic brand for an agricultural product with a strategically savvy combination of public relations, retail trade and food service partnerships and social media activations. "These amazing results form a platform for even bigger success in 2018, where we will be injecting even more unique and world-class activities into our branding efforts”, states Xavier Equihua, CEO of the WAO.
Boosting the WAO’s Pan-European Activities in 2018
In 2018, WAO will continue its successful partnerships with select retailers in France, Germany, UK, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and expand its retail partnerships on an even wider European level to include Poland, Italy and Switzerland to name a few. “All these countries have great growth potential: avocado promotions in these countries will help further boost growth in Europe”, notes Equihua.
WAO and a whole lot of avocados are also expected to be present at the Bastille Day Garden Party celebrating
France’s National Day with President Emmanuel Macron, and furthermore, play a role during major sports events in 2018. In addition WAO will introduce World Avocado Month to be celebrated in June 2018: a whole month dedicated to celebrate Europe’s favourite superfood. World Avocado Month will be accompanied by a wide range of marketing and media activities and more collaborations with restaurants and renowned retailers.
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About the World Avocado Organization (WAO)
The World Avocado Organization’s (WAO) primary purpose is to promote and increase the consumption, awareness and value of avocados in international markets. It was established in February 2016 as an international non-profit organization. Based in Washington, D.C., WAO represents some of the world’s largest avocado producers, exporters and importers, including Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and the United States of America.
Europe is one of the fastest-growing markets worldwide and already the second-largest market for imported avocados in the world. It is expected to grow by at least 15 percent per year in the next five years.
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Source: World Avocado Organization (WAO)