AUSTIN, Texas — Those of us in the fresh produce industry might find the Avocados from Mexico BB #:371130 House of Goodness familiar: we saw it at the Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando back in October.
And, sure, the line was long to get in at that show.
But it had nothing on the line wrapped around the block at South by Southwest on March 13 and 14.
The Dallas-based organization had more than 8,000 reservations for the event, for which it did relatively little to advertise, said CEO Alvaro Luque.
This is the third time AFM has produced SXSW “experiences” since 2015, Luque said. AFM was the top trending hashtag from the event, and this year the organization has high hopes for its social media reach.
“Our goal is to create 2 billion impressions out of one week at South by Southwest,” he said. “I think it’s going to happen.”
Brand collaboration also was a key feature of the event. Not only was the venue, the Lustre Pearl on Rainey St., a hang-out with the House of Goodness Garage Sale promotion, complimentary tacos and drinks, AFM was hosting sessions with brand collaborators as part of the Future of Food Summit by Brand Innovators.
Collaborators like Coca-Cola, which AFM is partnering with for its upcoming Cinco de Mayo promotion, Ocean Spray, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Sovos Brands (makers of Rao’s), McCormick & Co. (makers of Cholula), were on stage to talk about marketing, branding, and audience connection strategies. Watch a replay of the sessions from the AFM LinkedIn page here.
Avocados From Mexico is working closely with these brands to increase reach for both parties, Luque said.
“We’re trying to bring CPG as much as we can to produce, so we can also get out there with these big brands,” he said.
