Hort Innovation’s pear marketing strategy focuses on helping consumers rediscover Australian pears by showing how their versatility can bring fresh interest to everyday eating. The program aims to get more Australians buying and eating pears by improving visibility at the point of purchase, inspiring broader uses across cooking, baking and entertaining, and strengthening appeal among younger and light-buying households. 

Consumer insights informing the strategy

Research shows that pears are considered a 'forgotten fruit'. Only 14 per cent of consumers spontaneously say they intend to buy pears in the next seven days, compared with 64 per cent for apples and 67 per cent for bananas. Prompting lifts pear consideration to 26 per cent, highlighting the importance of visibility and reminders. 

What's planned for the domestic market

The pear program will bring the versatility strategy to life through refreshed creative, food inspiration, influencer content and retail activity. Together, these activities are designed to help consumers rediscover pears, broaden usage beyond snacking and convert interest into purchase.

Key activities include: 

• Refinements the existing pear creative to strengthen appetite appeal, make versatility more prominent and broaden relevance among younger consumers, supported by a suite of branded social and retail assets.
• A multilayer social campaign combining branded advertising, inspirational usage content and influencer activity. Branded assets will build top-of-mind awareness, while food content will show pears across cooking, baking, entertaining, salads and platters.
• Recipe creation to give consumers practical inspiration and expand the ways pears are used across different occasions.
• ‘The Great Pear-Off’, a social-first influencer-led sweet-versus-savoury challenge with Khanh Ong and Courtney Roulston, using creator-led recipes and audience voting to demonstrate two distinctive sides of Australian green pears.
• Two-pronged retail strategy to support entry into the season and encourage repeat purchase later in the season, with branded retail creative and digital activity designed to interrupt shoppers at the point of purchase.
• Retail partnership with PepsiCo, alongside digital retail media, to increase visibility, provide usage inspiration and support conversion.

Growing demand beyond Australia

Alongside the domestic program, the pear strategy aims to strengthen the global presence of Australian pears by building preference, increasing export volumes and establishing a clear value proposition in key export markets. New Zealand and Canada have been identified as priority markets, with dedicated programs designed to grow penetration and support long-term demand for Australian pears.

Key export activities include:

• Support for New Zealand, which remains one of the most important export markets for Australian Pears, representing a significant opportunity to strengthen demand outside the domestic market. The program will focus on increasing visibility at the point of purchase and driving consumer demand through a targeted marketing campaign that highlights the quality, versatility and eating experience of Australian pears with. 
   
• Support for Canada, given the counter-seasonal production cycles, creating an opportunity for fresh Australian pears to fill the market when domestic Canadian supply is lower, and the strong alignment between Canadian consumer preferences and Australia's export offer, particularly for the Williams Bartlett variety. The program will deliver targeted retail and consumer marketing activities such as retail promotions, packaging and point-of-sale visibility, complemented by trade engagement initiatives supporting importer and retailer relationships.

Supporting investments

A range of investments are underway to deliver the pear marketing strategy:

• Extension of International Pears Marketing Program FY25 – MG Group New Zealand (PA25502)
• International Pears Marketing Program FY26-27 – Canada (PA25503)
• International Pears Marketing Program FY26-27 – Canada – packaging (PA25504)
• Domestic Pears Marketing Program FY26-27 – Asset Development, Recipe Creation & Ad Hoc (PA25505)
• Domestic Pears Marketing Program FY26-27 – Online Retail Media (Burst 1 – March) (PA25506)
• FY25/26 Pears Marketing Support for Domestic – Social Campaign (PA25603)
• Domestic Pears Marketing Program FY26-27 – Social & Influencer (PA25604)
• Domestic Pears Marketing Program FY26-27 – Retail Partnerships and Media (Pepsico and Sept WW push) (PA25605)
• International Pears Marketing Program FY26-27 – New Zealand – Creative Adoption & Support for Indies/Foodstuffs (PA26501)
• International Pears Marketing Program FY26-27 – Woolworths, New Zealand (PA26601)