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

In 2025/26, lychee marketing activity focused on encouraging more Australians to try fresh Australian lychees and share them with family and friends during the summer season.  

With household penetration still low and limited consumer awareness, the program prioritised hands-on trial, word of mouth and social content to help shoppers better understand lychees as a premium, seasonal fruit for snacking, entertaining and special occasions.

Insights that drove our thinking  

Key insights showed that lychees continue to have strong appeal once people try them, but they remain a relatively niche fruit. In 2024/25 planning, household penetration was identified at seven per cent, with purchase intent during the season peak sitting at just four to five per cent when consumers were prompted.  

Consumer tracking also showed lychees were seen as delicious, unique and exotic, while cost and seasonality were key barriers to purchase. This meant the campaign needed to make lychees easier to discover, easier to understand and easier to try.

What did the campaign achieve?  

The campaign centred on giving consumers the opportunity to purchase, taste and share fresh Australian lychees in real-life settings. Trialists were encouraged to share lychees with family and friends and complete pre- and post-campaign surveys. They were also encouraged to create simple content showing how they used lychees in recipes, snacks and seasonal moments.  

Social influencer activity was also included to extend the reach of the sampling program and help present lychees in a more familiar, engaging way across social channels.  

In addition, in-store sampling was planned to support trial at the point of purchase, helping shoppers experience lychees firsthand and build confidence to buy during the season.