Hort Innovation is responsible for investing the avocado marketing levy into a range of activities to drive awareness and consumption. Here is a quick look at what happened during the year in export markets...

The 2025/26 export marketing program aimed to build demand for Australian Avocados and support profitable export growth across established and emerging markets.

The program focused on three areas:  

• Pillar 1: Differentiate - Create a premium brand identity for Australian Avocados  
• Pillar 2:  Defend & Drive - In Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, where Australia already has a strong market position, the focus was on protecting market share and encouraging consumers to buy avocados more often.  
• Pillar 3: Develop - In the developing markets of Japan, India, Thailand and the GCC region, activity focused on building familiarity with Australian Avocados, strengthening retailer and industry relationships, encouraging trial, and helping consumers understand how to select, ripen, store and use avocados.

Insights that drove our thinking

• Global avocado exports are increasing, and Australia’s share is still small but growing. This reinforced the need to build stronger demand in export markets so Australian Avocados can compete as more supply enters global trade.
• Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia are already strong markets for Australian Avocados, together accounting for 82 per cent of Australian avocado exports. However, per capita consumption remains well below Australia, showing there is still room to grow how often consumers buy and use avocados.
• Future export growth is expected to rely more heavily on markets such as the GCC, India, Thailand and Japan (currently only 18 per cent share of exports). This shaped the need to both defend Australia’s strong position in established markets and invest carefully in emerging markets with longer-term potential.
• Price is the biggest barrier to avocado purchase, with 35 per cent of consumers saying avocados are too expensive. Because Australian Avocados are positioned as a premium product, the export program needed to clearly communicate why they are worth paying more for.

What did the campaign achieve?  

Building consumer awareness and encouraging trial

The export program used consumer marketing to build awareness of Australian Avocados and create more opportunities for consumers to experience the product before reaching the point of purchase. This activity included social media, influencer partnerships, public relations, consumer events, foodservice collaborations and sampling programs across seven export markets.

Hong Kong’s integrated consumer campaign was one example of this approach:

• Consumer events: Across 3 bursts, more than 10,000 consumers attended Australian Avocado food truck activations in Hong Kong, with more than 4,000 samples distributed.
• Media and influencer promotion: Hong Kong activity generated 5.8 million in total reach, supported by influencer partnerships and bonus media coverage. Over 60% of visitors took photos/videos rather than just collecting the sample and leaving demonstrating high shareability and earned exposure.
• Integrated campaigns: Consumer events were closely linked with participating retailers, creating a clear path from awareness to purchase. Signage and trained staff directed consumers to nearby stores stocking Australian avocados, and promoter staff reported that many shoppers had already visited the activation, suggesting the activity was successfully driving store traffic and sales opportunities. This was further supported by approximately 400 promoter sessions and the distribution of 9,550 gifts throughout the two campaigns.
• Media and influencer promotion: Hong Kong activity generated 5.8 million in total reach, supported by influencer partnerships and bonus media coverage. Over 60 per cent of visitors took photos/videos rather than just collecting the sample and leaving demonstrating high shareability and earned exposure.

Retail partnerships

Retail remained the foundation of the export marketing program. Across seven markets, Australian Avocados partnered with more than 35 retailers to improve visibility, encourage trial and support purchase through displays, point-of-sale materials, promoter support, gifts with purchase, sampling and online retail activity.

• Retail network: Partnerships with more than 35 retailers across seven export markets.
• Retail visibility: Campaigns used secondary displays, point-of-sale materials, digital screens, sampling and promotional activity to help Australian Avocados stand out in-store.
• Promoter support and gifts were distributed through retail promotions to encourage trial and purchase.

Retail partnerships provided the primary platform for converting consumer interest into purchase while maintaining a strong presence for Australian Avocados in key export markets.

Localising activity to make Australian avocados relevant

Localisation was a key part of the export program, ensuring Australian Avocados remained relevant across diverse markets, cultures and consumption occasions.  

The Singapore café collaboration is one example of a campaign which focuses on localisation:

• Six cafés across eight outlets developed 20 locally inspired dishes, drinks and desserts featuring Australian Avocados, supported by public relations, influencers, sampling and retail activity.  
• 23,000+ consumers experienced Australian Avocados through retail and foodservice events.
• Participating retailers achieved a 57.1 per cent+ average sales uplift across all stores versus the pre-campaign period.
• 1,800+ avocado dishes were sold across participating foodservice venues.
• The campaign generated 939,000+ consumer impressions across earned, sponsored and paid media, exceeding the KPI by 61 per cent.
• 20+ original Australian Avocado recipes were developed, supported by stylised, free-to-use imagery.

Market-specific social media campaigns

Another example of localisation is Australian Avocado’s dedicated market specific social channels featured local recipes, market activations and influencer collaborations tailored to individual markets.  

Japan

• Twenty Instagram cooking influencers collaborated with and shared content from @australianavocadosjapan during the peak Australian avocado season, driving strong awareness and engagement.  
• The campaign achieved a reach of 2.13 million (125 per cent of target), generated 36,506 engagements (183 per cent of target), and delivered 4,581 new followers (382 per cent of target), significantly outperforming all targets.

India  

• The Australian Avocados India Instagram channel published 22 pieces of content over the three-month campaign, using a mix of reels, posts, podcasts and influencer content to educate consumers and inspire usage.
• The campaign generated a reach of more than 253,000, delivered 76,744 interactions and attracted 490+ new followers.  
• Insights showed strong engagement with educational, health and lifestyle-focused content, while discoverability remained high, with the majority of reach coming from non-followers.
• Influencer collaborations formed a key part of the social strategy, featuring nutrition expert Dr. Shilpa Arora, Chef Varun Inamdar and the Food Bloggers Association of India (FBAI). Content focused on the health benefits and culinary versatility of Australian avocados, while FBAI helped generate excitement around campaign events through a network of food creators. More than 50 influencers participated across the campaign, helping extend reach and introduce Australian Avocados to new audiences.

Regional Asia page for Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong:

• 32 pieces of content were posted from @australianavocadosasia during the March – June campaign, driving strong awareness and engagement. Content was a mix of brand posts and influencer collaboration posts.  
• During the campaign, 977 new followers were acquired
• More than 90 per cent of content views consistently came from non-followers
• Content views increased from 4.5K in March to 36K in May
• An evergreen content library was established to support future content planning and promotion

Across markets, content featuring practical serving ideas and everyday consumption occasions consistently generated the strongest engagement and audience interest. Recipe-based content helped consumers visualise how Australian Avocados can be incorporated into daily meals.  

Chef demonstrations and roadshows

In India, Chef Varun Inamdar's Freshpik masterclass showcased innovative Australian Avocado recipes, including Avocado Chocolate Mousse and Avocado Papdi Chaat, demonstrating how avocados can be incorporated into local cuisine. The event generated valuable social content, attracted more than 50 influencers and helped amplify campaign messages across digital channels. Chef demonstrations, live tastings and consumer interactions reinforced avocado versatility and encouraged trial among both consumers and trade stakeholders.

In Malaysia, chef-led roadshows featured occasion-based recipe demonstrations and consumer engagement. Activities encouraged shoppers to see avocados as suitable for celebrations, entertaining and outdoor occasions, while also reinforcing key messages around health, quality and versatility.

• Over 20 roadshows were delivered across participating retailers, including chef demonstrations and themed consumer experiences.
• Chef Celina showcased locally relevant recipes and occasion-based serving ideas, helping consumers visualise more ways to enjoy Australian avocados at events such as birthday celebrations and camping trips.
• Roadshow activities reached 4,200 shoppers, serving >17,850 avocado samples, while delivering a 118 per cent average sales uplift compared with the previous week across participating roadshow locations.

By adapting activity to local food culture, consumer habits and retail environments, the program helped make Australian Avocados feel more familiar, accessible and relevant, supporting both trial and repeat purchase.