USHBC Brings on Veteran PR Executive

In 2001, the average annual per capita consumption of avocados in the U.S. was 2.5 pounds. Today, the average annual consumption is 9.2 pounds. It may take years, but the hope is that blueberries gain that kind of market growth, and to realize that, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council has brought on one of the key architects of the promotional campaign behind the boost in avocado consumption.

Kevin Hamilton

Kevin Hamilton, who led the creation of the Avocados From Mexico Super Bowl ads, joined the USHBC in August as vice president of global marketing and consumption.

“Kevin comes by way of a long search for somebody who could help bring this kind of expertise and experience to the blueberry category in our marketing program,” said USHBC President Kasey Cronquist in introducing Hamilton, who spoke at the Oregon Blueberry Conference, held February 6 in Salem.

In his presentation, Hamilton talked about the strategy behind the Avocados From Mexico ads that won over fans during multiple Super Bowls, dating back to 2014. And he talked about what he believes are the tenets of increasing consumer consumption of an agricultural product.

“The first and arguably the most important thing is on you in the room,” Hamilton said to conference participants. “It’s producing awesome products consistently. It doesn’t matter how much money we throw at marketing of any product or service, if the consumer is not realizing a positive consumer experience consistently, it won’t matter.

“So, this is absolutely a requisite, but it also should be stated that it is not sufficient. So, that is where the marketing pieces come in,” Hamiton said. “We need to aggressively increase our approach to communications and marketing in order to increase household penetration.”

Hamilton said data shows that the blueberry industry has done a good job educating consumers on the health benefits of blueberries. And, he said, consumers today are much more likely to care about the health benefits of food.

“In the ‘90s, ‘80s and beyond, we would just go buy that Velveeta cheese box and wouldn’t look on the back of it at the ingredients,” he said. “Those days have changed.”

Also, he said, with the proliferation of ads hammering consumers through websites, streaming services, television and other media, breaking through to consumers is harder than ever.

“It is non-stop,” he said of the proliferation of advertising. “That means it’s harder for us to break through, get your attention and ensure than you recall that message and act on it later.”

Using existing data, Hamilton said only one out of two households in the U.S. purchased blueberries last year. And, he said, that reflects even a one-time usage in the course of a year. Further, he said, using existing data, the USHBC was able to determine that over the course of a year, at a household level, average consumption is six pounds.

“Since I’ve come into this industry, I myself eat probably about two pounds a week. So, in about three weeks I equal what an average household eats for the year,” Hamilton said. “It’s not a lot, and we have to increase that.”

Also, he said, data shows that the majority of households consuming blueberries are those with six-figure incomes. “So, we need to expand our footprint,” he said.

He added that blueberries today are a morning product. “We’ve got to expand the day parts to give people an excuse to eat more of this product,” Hamilton said. “We need to make this in and of itself an attractive product that people want to eat from a snacking perspective, from an in-between meals perspective, and give them an excuse to buy and eat more.”

Additionally, he said, blueberries are seen by consumers as an expensive product. “So, consumers believe that they are paying premium prices. And that can be okay. We pay premium prices for a whole lot of things out there. But it has to be that you feel like you’re getting premium value,” he said.

“So, if we are asking the consumer to buy more and pay the same or more, then we need to give them more value, either real or perceived,” he said.

“The point is that we’ve got to have people feeling like there’s more behind the blueberry than just the blueberry,” Hamilton said. “That is what is going to get people to increase their willingness to pay for a product that we’re asking them to buy more of.”

To wrap up, Hamilton said he believes there is a ton of opportunity to increase consumption of blueberries and that he is looking forward to working in the industry. “That is why I came here.”

He added that creating a buzz around blueberries won’t happen overnight. “But if we get on that road now, just like we did with Avocados From Mexico in 2014, ten years later, maybe we’ll have some other commodity talking about how blueberries changed the game,” Hamilton said.