Australian Avocados Marketing Update 2025

About the marketing program

This is the latest marketing activity that’s helping Aussie consumers connect with (and eat!) Australian avocados. The industry’s marketing is managed by Hort Innovation and funded by the avocado marketing levy. Hort Innovation develops consumer-focused promotions using a variety of mediums including social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, as well as targeted partnerships with consumer-related publications and platforms.

Keep scrolling to see more great marketing activity in 2025.  And, if you are chasing some delicious avocado recipes, check out Australian Avocados.

Go Green Gold results: July to December 2024 – 3 March 2025

 

 

Outdoor advertising

From July to December 2024, Australian Avocados leveraged both large-format and retail outdoor advertising to build awareness among consumers and drive purchase intent.

Large format outdoor had two key bursts, aligning with key cultural moments – the Olympics, and King Charles III’s arrival in Australia. Overall, messaging was featured across 61 digital panels across roadsides nationwide.

Complimenting large format, retail outdoor panels provided sustained exposure along the customer path to purchase, running from September to December across 1,854 locations near supermarkets and fresh food grocers.

Collectively, both outdoor formats contributed towards a significant reach of 10.2 million people, exposing 74% of main grocery buyers to the ad at least once across all markets.  Over 187 million impressions were also generated in total, reinforcing brand salience.


Digital retail media

Digital ads—including tiles, banners, and page cards—placed on Coles and Woolworths eCommerce sites targeted consumers at key decision-making moments. These ads reached 2.3 million new-to-brand consumers on Coles’ website and 127,000 new-to-brand customers on Woolworths’ site. During the campaign period, digital retail activity directly attributed to $23.3 million in avocado sales across both retailers’ websites.


Social media (paid)

An always-on social media presence from July to December 2024 leveraged a mix of short form videos, branded content, and influencer collaborations. A diverse range of creatives were utilised throughout the campaign period, including Olympic-themed green and gold messaging, recipes, avocado pairings, and influencer-led storytelling. Consistent rotation of creatives showcased the versatility of avocados while preventing creative fatigue. Across Meta and TikTok, over 62 million impressions were generated nationwide, reaching 7.7M and 2.1M users respectively.


Social media (owned)

From October to December, Australian Avocados’ owned Instagram, Facebook and TikTok channels, continued to engage audiences with original content, collectively reaching over 3.4 million people.

The sit-com style video series – The Adventures of Avo, Cado, and Pip- was posted as organic Instagram reels and TikTok videos, with two videos boosted as ads in December, reaching 2.8 million people and generating over 7,000 impressions.

Recipe content shared across influencer Lilian Eets’ TikTok, and the Australian Avocados Instagram, TikTok and Facebook pages, performed well, collectively receiving 12,690 engagements. Content shared on the Australian Avocados Facebook page, generated the greatest reach at over 2.8 million people.


Earned media

Australian Avocados capitalised on key cultural moments to highlight new usage occasions and generate widespread media coverage.

On National Avocado Day, the Corn Chip Safe Guacamole campaign captured the attention of the entire corn chip industry, with major brands responding to the newspaper print ad, helping to expand the reach.

To coincide with King Charles III’s visit to Australia, the royal avocado carriage campaign ran across 16 large-format sites in major eastern seaboard cities. In Sydney alone, the ad reached 1.225 million people (over a quarter of the population), with an average 2.3 exposures per person.

Overall, the campaigns generated 12 pieces of earned news coverage, with a total potential reach of over 5.8 million people.


Go Green Gold campaign steps up for the Shepard season – 31 Jan 2025

 

Marketing Plans for Shepard Avocado Season

With the Shepard avocado season upon us, the Hort Innovation marketing team are excited to announce the next phase of the Go Green Gold campaign, with creative switching next month to showcase the Shepard variety. Messaging will continue to highlight avocados taste, versatility, and health benefits, while increasing awareness among consumers that Shepard season is here.

To align with the season, activity will go live from week commencing 10 February, continuing through to April.

Paid media

To reach grocery buyers nationwide, activity across paid media includes:

    • Retail screens: Creative will feature on small-format retail panels near supermarkets and large format retail panels in shopping centres, targeting main grocery buyers at key shopping destinations nationwide.
    • Retail online: Content will appear across Coles and Woolworths website, including content cards, page banners, and single tiles. These placements will target shoppers browsing the fruit, vegetable, salad, and Mexican food aisles.
    • Paid social: Content will feature in-feed and in stories across Meta (Facebook and Instagram), as well as TikTok, inspiring Australians with avocado versatility and recipe ideas.

Earned media

We will launch a ‘heart and mind’ campaign, an earned-led initiative to create positive media coverage, generate buzz, and encourage Australians to embrace the Shepard variety.

Owned media

Building on strong results, we will continue leveraging successful content formats on social media with:

    • Recipe Inspiration content from Lil Eets:

Content creator Lil Eets will share Shepard-avocado specific recipes such as:

      • Shepard avocado, vegemite and cheese melt
      • Shepard avocado and dukkah eggs
      • Mexican Shepard avocado and corn salad
      • Shepard avocado and chicken summer salad.
    • Sitcom content series:

Our popular TikTok and Meta content series ‘The Adventures of Avo, Cado and Pip’ will introduce a new character, Miss Shepard, in an upcoming episode.

 

Domestic Marketing Results to date Media – 31 Jan 2025

    • Pipcom: Episode one on Meta reached 1.4 million people at an impressive cost-per-thousand (CPM) of $3.09, while on TikTok, it reached over 162k users at a CPM of $3.41.
    • Lil Eets: Content creator Lil Eets’ first three videos have achieved remarkable results since October reaching a combined 134 million users on Meta, at a CPM of $3.2, and 250k users on TikTok, at a CPM of $3.11.

All content will be boosted across the quarter with recipe and Pipcom content rotating bi-weekly. By focusing on high-impact content, we aim to maximise reach and engagement opportunities, particularly among light avocado buyers.

Note: Reach combines Australian and international audiences.

 

Grabbing the opportunity to apply fungicides

By John Agnew & Shanara Veivers, QDPI

Many NQ packers achieved good fruit quality last season, despite wet weather leading to harvest.

Their success was due to determination to get as many key factors contributing to quality as perfect as possible. That included grabbing any opportunity to apply fungicides, ensuring dispatch temperatures were ideal, and matching supply to orders to minimise time to customer.

This season is also proving to be challenging, with the number of wet days per month generally exceeding the historic mean in North Queensland and Central Queensland (Figure 1).

Above, Figure 1. Walkamin and Childers wet days per month, actual versus historic mean (BOM, 2025).

NQ growers about to harvest can benefit from the following actions:

  1. Pre-harvest sampling to determine potential disease load:

Take extra fruit when sampling for dry matter testing and store in trays in a warm, humid place. Assess internally at medium soft ripe stage.

  1. Conduct a Roll Test on randomly sampled fruit to determine potential for lenticel damage.
  2. Ensure a registered and market-approved post-harvest fungicide is applied, following label instructions.
  3. Measure fruit pulp temperature to ensure that it is at the correct temperature (7°C for Shepard, 5°C for Hass) at dispatch. Dispatching at 2 – 3°C above recommended has been recorded in a significant number of consignments in 2024.

Growers in CQ, SQ & CNSW can benefit from maintaining a robust and responsive spray regime as follows:

  1. Use BOM Tools to predict rainfall weekly (Figure 2)

Rainfall – Chance of at least 15 mm in 3 days for 15 Feb – 28 Feb – Climate Outlooks

  1. Use protectant copper sprays every 28 days from after flowering to harvest but reduce interval to 14 days during wet weather #. (Figure 3)

# Wet weather is defined as at least 3 consecutive days with ≥ 1mm rain.

  1. During prolonged wet periods = substitute copper with a systemic/protectant spray such as Score® or Switch®. This will offer a new barrier of protection on the fruit and address any infection started during this wet period. Abide by Permit conditions PERMIT94009 .

Above, Figure 2. BOM Climate Outlook Tools predict the chances of at least 15mm of rain in 3 days for 17-23 February at Tolga: 14% chance of <15mm, 46% chance of >40mm and 24% chance of >99mm.

 

Above, Figure 3. Childers “Ideal” orchard fungicide applications (orange vertical lines) based on actual rainfall frequency (blue lines) during 24/25 season to date.

 

For further information on AV22011 quality management resources, contact John Agnew from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (john.agnew@daf.qld.gov.au) or Anne Larard (idm@avocado.org.au) from Avocados Australia.

This article appears as part of the 17 February 2025 issue of Guacamole.

Australian Avocados Win Over Japanese Consumers

Australian Avocados are taking Japanese consumers by storm, thanks to a highly successful influencer marketing campaign designed to boost awareness and inspire new culinary experiences. By partnering with five popular Instagram cooking influencers, the campaign exceeded expectations—reaching over 1 million Japanese consumers, an impressive 155% of its original goal, well before its official conclusion on January 31.

Innovative avocado creations like deep-fried Prosciutto Frites, Avocado Cheese Cocotte, and Avocado Bacon Rolls captivated social media audiences, sparking excitement and curiosity. Enthusiastic comments on the posts indicated growing consumer interest, with many eager to try these unique recipes and actively searching for Australian Avocados in stores.

To build on this momentum, Australian avocados were also promoted in AEON supermarket stores in January. AEON is one of the largest retailers in Japan, providing excellent consumer exposure. The campaign showcased Australia’s premium-quality avocados while educating consumers on selecting ripe avocados and incorporating them into both traditional Japanese dishes and Western-inspired meals.

This article appears as part of the 17 February 2025 issue of Guacamole.

About the Australian Avocados Southeast Asia Workshops

Three special Australian Avocados’ Southeast Asia Workshops will be rolled out in early March that aim to deepen overseas’ importers and retailers understanding of Australian avocados. They will be able to directly connect with Australian growers and exporters as well as industry experts.

The workshops will provide importers and retailers with valuable insights into Australian avocado quality, seasonality, supply, and insights into possible market opportunities. Importantly, these events will help to build connections that support future trade partnerships.

The first workshop will be held in Kuala Lumpur (Monday 3 March), then Singapore (Wednesday 5 March) followed by Hong Kong (Friday 7 March).

Avocados Australia’s Avocado Trade Development and Market Access Project team will be at these events leveraging the opportunities to develop the industry’s relationships with its overseas trade partners. This project aims to address any critical challenges and identify new opportunities to position Australian avocados as a leading global brand while fostering a sustainable export culture. It carefully aligns with the Avocado Strategic Investment Plan 2022–2026.

For more information contact Flora Zhang, AAL’s General Manager – Export: export@avocado.org.au or 0499 600 613.

You will see the full coverage of these events in a future issue of Guacamole and our magazine, Talking Avocados!

The Avocado Market Access and Trade Development Project (2024-29) (AV23003) is funded by Hort Innovation, using the avocado research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.

This article appears as part of the 17 February 2025 issue of Guacamole.

Central QLD Growers come together for Regional Forum

A gathering of over a hundred avocado industry stakeholders turned out for the Central QLD Avocado Grower Regional Forum on Thursday 13 February at the Multiplex Convention Centre in Bundaberg. Key growers operating in the region attended to hear a range of excellent presentations related to avocado nutrition and fruit quality. Following the forum an orchard walk was conducted at Donovan Family Investments’ Givelda-based orchard with Clayton Donovan providing an informative overview of their orchard practices.

The event also provided Matt Kleyn (Avocados Australia’s Chair, a North Queensland Director and an avocado grower), Eric Carney (CQ/SC Director and grower) and Lucy Philip (CQ/SC Director and grower) with the opportunity to address the gathering and provide an update on the Board’s activities. Growers there could provide their feedback and ask questions of these Board members.

This was the first of six regional forums planned for 2025 being delivered by the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI).

The Central QLD Avocado Grower Regional Forum included presentations providing an industry update (by John Tyas, Avocados Australia’s CEO), an Avocado industry extension project update, an update on fruit quality, an overview on Carbohydrate management, Nitrogen use, and practices that are looking to enhance fruit quality.

All of the speakers took part in a round robin session that allowed a two-way exchange of ideas and discussion between the speakers and growers.

Copies of the presentations will be uploaded to the Best Practice Resource (BPR) and shared via a Grower Notice.

This article appears as part of the 17 February 2025 issue of Guacamole.

A message from Avocados Australia’s New Chair

 

Hi Everyone,

I am proud to have this opportunity to address you all as the new Chair of Avocados Australia Limited.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a North Queensland Avocado grower. My wife Louise and I own Lakeshore Pty Ltd and have farms in Kairi and Walkamin in North Queensland. We also own and operate a large commercial packing facility called Pack Center NQ Pty Ltd and are shareholders of Green Skin Avocados Pty Ltd. Like our previous chair, Brad Rodgers, I too am excited about the future of the Australian avocado industry. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brad for his years of service and look forward to continuing to work with him in his continued role as a Western Australia Director.

On Wednesday 23 October I chaired my first Avocados Australia Board Meeting and the Board welcomed two new directors, Lawrence Masasso (the second director for the North Queensland region) and Duncan Wells (the second director for Western Australia). Lawrence and Duncan will add their valuable experience and expertise and I welcome their input into our decision making moving forward.

As Chair of Avocados Australia I am trying to hit the ground running, contributing to our efforts to open new markets. I am currently in China now involved in high level meetings that will bring our industry closer to accessing the Chinese market. I want you all to know that I am determined to deliver results for the industry, to help find new pathways for our wonderful high quality avocados and grow demand, both domestically and overseas.

Avocados Australia’s latest “Facts at a Glance 2023-24 Report” is now available. The avocado industry facts and figures it contains are an essential resource for anyone looking to understand the Australian avocado industry trends to June 2024. In order to plan for the future, it is important to know where we are, and where we have been. I recommend that you take a look at its valuable insights.

Avocados Australia’s purpose is to support Australian avocado growers in becoming world leading sustainable producers. To achieve this we need sustainable, profitable farm gate prices and Avocados Australia’s four industry priorities – as outlined in our Strategic Plan for 2022 – 2026 – were developed with this in mind.

I value the contribution that all of our stakeholders make to our industry as you all have a part to play in ensuring that our industry has a positive future. I particularly call upon our government stakeholders to continue to support our industry in pursuit of our goals, particularly in increasing exports and in opening new markets.

I look forward to working with my fellow Avocados Australia Board members and Avocados Australia’s staff in doing all that we can to support growers and the industry.

I wish you all the best for the rest of the year.

Sincerely,

Matt Kleyn
Chair
Avocados Australia

This article is part of the 4 November 2024 issue of Avocados Australia’s enewsletter – Guacamole.

Poor conditions, plenty of good results?

Plenty of North Queensland avocado growers did a good job of producing quality avocados this year despite an exceptional wet season which disrupted spray programs and delayed picking (Figure 1). The bulk of North Queensland packers (12 packers) sampled in AV22011 retail quality monitoring this year achieved average fruit acceptability above the industry standard of >90% of fruit with less than <10% internal defects. The average acceptability of all 98 retail quality samples from these 12 packers was 96%.  Of the 3 packers that achieved an average fruit acceptability below 90%, the average of their 29 retail quality samples reported was 88% acceptable.

Figure 1. How internal defect levels differed in 2024 between North Queensland packers whose samples averaged above or below the industry standard (90% of fruit with <10% internal defects).

You wonder how this is possible when actual rainfall exceeded the long term mean from November 2023 to April 2024, ranging from a 40% to almost 500% extra (Figure 2). The number of wet days per month also exceeded the long term mean from December 2023 to April 2024 (Figure 3). In February 2024 there were 7 “dry” days and only two were consecutive. In reality there was probably only one or two spraying opportunities in each of January, February and March.

Figure 2. Walkamin actual and mean monthly rain (Nov. 2023 – May 2024).

Figure 3. Walkamin actual and mean monthly wet days (Nov. 2023 – May 2024)

Although the season is behind them now, their lessons are certainly applicable to other districts. In talking with a couple of North Queensland growers recently, their success was due to determination to get as many key factors contributing to quality as perfect as possible. That included grabbing any opportunity to apply fungicides, ensuring dispatch temperatures were ideal and matching supply to orders to minimise time to customer.

The systemic fungicides, Switch® and Score® (Permit 94009) were particularly useful when applied after periods of extended rainy weather when coverage with protectant fungicides (e.g. copper) was difficult to maintain.

Remember that a high proportion of Colletotrichum (cause of anthracnose) in Queensland is resistant to strobilurin fungicides. Samples of Colletotrichum from a range of orchards were tested by Liz Dann and her team to discover that 60% from north Queensland, 65% from central Queensland and 65% from southeast Queensland were resistant.

For the simple method to test if your Colletotrichum is resistant and to discover the latest recommendations for orchard fungicide usage click HERE for Liz’s article on the BPR.

For further information on AV22011 monitoring results and quality management resources, click HERE or contact John Agnew from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (john.agnew@daf.qld.gov.au) or Anne Larard (idm@avocado.org.au) from Avocados Australia.

This article appears as part of the 4 October 2024 issue of Guacamole, AAL’s enewsletter.

Are Your Strobilurin Fungicides Effective Against Anthracnose?

Strobilurin-resistant strains of Colletotrichum have been detected in avocado orchards, raising concerns about the continued effectiveness of strobilurin (Group 11) fungicides, such as azoxystrobin (for example, Amistar, Agristar, Stellar or others). As these fungicides are a key component of an integrated anthracnose management program, it’s crucial to ensure they are still providing effective control on your farm.

Have you tested the effectiveness of strobilurin fungicides on your farm?

Resistance testing is essential for managing resistance and ensuring that your investment in spraying is delivering results. Below is a simple method to assess whether strobilurin fungicides are effective against anthracnose when applied before harvest:

1. Select and tag trees: Choose several trees or 1-2 rows in each block that have fruit at commercial maturity.
2. Apply fungicide: Spray the selected trees or rows with a strobilurin fungicide.
3. Harvest fruit: 1-2 weeks later, harvest at least 1-2 trays of fruit from both the sprayed and unsprayed trees. Keep the fruit from each group in separate, clearly labelled trays. Ensure the fruit is taken from all sides of the canopy.
4. Incubate fruit: Store the trays in a warm, humid environment to ripen. You can place the trays inside loosely tied garbage bags to create this environment.
5. Evaluate disease development: Once the fruit is ripe — or slightly overripe — check for anthracnose symptoms. In the case of Hass avocados, you may need to cut and peel the fruit to observe any signs of disease.
6. Interpret the results:

  • Similar disease levels in both groups: If the disease level is comparable in both the strobilurin-sprayed and unsprayed fruit, it’s likely that the Colletotrichum in your orchard is resistant to the fungicide, and continuing to use these sprays may not be worthwhile. In such cases, consider switching to systemic fungicides like Score® and/or Switch®.
  • Minimal disease in both groups: This may indicate that you have an effective protectant spray program in place, are dealing with early-season fruit (which usually has less disease), or that disease pressure is currently low due to unfavourable conditions for fungal infection and disease development.

This protocol was developed by Liz Dann from the University of Queensland. For more detailed information on a revised orchard fungicide program for managing anthracnose in avocados, you can access the full paper here.

Information in this article is most relevant in North Queensland and Central Queensland growers given their known resistance issues. Although growers in Tristate and Western Australia have historically applied fewer strobilurin sprays, we know there are low levels of resistance in Colletotrichum in WA, and periodic rotation with the new chemistry available on permit will ensure the longevity of all fungicides in the future.

This article appeared as part of the 6 Sept 2024 issue of Guacamole, AAL’s enewsletter.

Early season Hass showing good robustness under storage challenges

As part of the Monitoring avocado supply chain quality (AV22011) project the monitoring of Queensland avocado domestic consignments is underway and will continue as the season progresses. Samples are being collected from wholesalers and ripening distribution centres, and assessed following a normal commercial ripening program (Standard sample), as well as following a 14-day storage challenge (Challenge sample). Results from this monitoring are presented to the supplying pack house, and used to evaluate fruit quality under normal supply conditions, as well as under the upper limit of best practice ‘time in the supply chain’ conditions.

To recap – two (2) avocado tray samples are taken from each consignment to measure quality and fruit robustness.  Both standard and challenge trays undergo an external quality assessment at collection. The first sample tray (standard) is collected after commercial ripening, kept at 20oC until med-soft ripe when it is assessed for internal defects. The second sample tray (challenge) undergoes a challenge fruit quality assessment, where fruit are stored for 14 days under recommended storage conditions. Fruit are then commercially ripened, kept at 20oC until med-soft ripe when it is assessed for internal defects.

A total of 12 Hass consignments from Queensland have been assessed between May and June this year. Overall, 9 out of 12 (75%) challenge samples (orange bars) have achieved  >90% acceptable fruit (<10% defects). This demonstrates that the majority of consignments had consistent fruit quality and good fruit robustness. Five of the 12 paired samples showed no decline in acceptability as a result of the additional 14-day storage challenge, with these reports providing important traceable feedback for packers and their suppliers on the robustness of these batches of fruit.

 

Average acceptability of the Hass challenge samples assessed from May to June was 89.9%. The average decrease in acceptability between the standard and challenge samples was 4.8%, noting that in the consignments where decreased acceptability was reported, the range of drops in acceptability was from -4% to -30%. No flesh discolouration affecting >10% flesh has been reported in Queensland Hass in 2024 to date. Total rot (>10% flesh affected) was the main defect in challenge samples, rising from 5% in standard samples, to 8% with the additional 14 days cool storage. Under 1% of both standard and challenge samples had bruising (>10% flesh affected)

The average fruit age of standard samples was 14 days and challenge samples was 26 days. A range of Standard sample ripening treatments and collection temperatures have been reported for the consignments sampled (refer below).

Monitoring of Queensland avocado consignments will continue as the season progresses and timely updates on quality will be provided. Key resources available to assist in identifying opportunities for quality improvements relating to monitoring reports from industry and customers include the Avocado Fruit Quality Problem Solver, the Australian Avocado Supply Chain Best Practice Guide, the Traceback Self Assessment guide and the Avocado Problem Solver Field Guide.

For further information on supply chain monitoring results, contact John Agnew from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (john.agnew@daf.qld.gov.au) or Anne Larard (idm@avocado.org.au) from Avocados Australia.

This article appeared as part of the 9 August 2024 issue of Guacamole, AAL’s enewsletter.

Food Service Program activation to grow category, boost consumption

Hort Innovation Marketing team and delivery partner Papaya are developing a Food Service communications and content strategy to drive category growth in the sector and increase Australian Avocado usage and adoption within priority outlets Quick Service Restaurants (QSR), Restaurants and Cafes, Pubs and Clubs. The strategy builds on a prior market research program conducted by FreshLogic providing insights into the foodservice sector and the role of providores. The Hort Innovation Marketing team and Papaya will engage with a PRG at the beginning of August to share the strategy.

This year for National Avocado Day on 31 July, there will be three Food Service activations, 1) an Australian Avocado Fiesta at Sydney’s leading Mexican restaurant Mejico (see the above photo showing the menu), 2) an Avocado market tour and avocado usage demonstration at Sydney Markets and 3) a morning TV segment with Sunrise featuring an Australian Avocado grower and a leading chef.

Launching at Sydney’s leading Mexican restaurant, Mejico are hosting an Australian Avocado Fiesta with dishes and cocktails featuring avocados in ways you’ve never experienced before. Embracing avocados throughout, the menu highlights different usage occasions for avocados and stretches perceptions of how avocados can complement a range of flavours in food and cocktails. This campaign will be supported by earned media and pitched out to key trade and food publications loved by foodservice operators.

Sydney Direct Fresh are hosting a market tour at Sydney Markets with a focus on Australian Avocados to celebrate National Avocado Day, inviting 30 of their Sydney chef customers. As part of the tour, Australian Avocado grower Josh McMillan from McMillan Farming will join to talk to the chefs about the provenance of Australian Avocados and share the grower story, taking the chefs on the journey of an avocado from the field to their kitchens. Following the tour, Jamie Gannon (Group Executive Chef of Laundy Hotels) and Christy (Head Chef Mejico) will showcase avocado usage, and both create their own guacamole for chefs to watch and taste.

Lastly, Executive Chef from Sam Prince Hospitality Group, Amada Fuller and Australian avocado grower Michael Coulson will be live on Australia’s most watched morning show, Sunrise. To celebrate National Avocado Day, Amanda Fuller will make Mejico’s table-side guacamole (one of the items on Australian Avocado Fiesta menu) while grower Michael Coulson from Coolio Farms will talk about his experience growing avocados.

This article appeared as part of the 26 July 2024 issue of Guacamole, AAL’s enewsletter.