Farmer’s Weekly (FW) spoke to Shelly Vorster (SV), managing director at the World Avocado Organisation (WAO), about the key lessons behind social media strategies that successfully boost avocado consumption.
FW: The WAO is active on social media across several European countries, each with its own demographics and consumption patterns. How does the organisation ensure its message lands with such a diverse audience?
SV: We currently operate dedicated social media platforms in Spain, France, Germany, the UK, and Italy. This isn’t just one account translated into different languages; in total, we have 15 individual accounts across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, each managed by local experts who understand the specific cultural nuances of their country.
We previously outsourced this function to an agency, but nine months ago appointed an in-house team led by Constance Goulletquer, our head of digital marketing at WAO.
It is a precision-targeted strategy designed to increase demand for our members’ fruit by directly reaching out to consumers. For the South African grower, this is a critical commercial advantage, as the WAO helps its members increase sales in Europe by focusing on current and future key consumers, such as Gen Z, ensuring the product is a ‘must-have’ in the shopping basket.
European markets are at different stages of maturity. In the UK and Germany, which are developing markets, we embed avocados into daily routines. In Italy, an emerging market, our focus is on basic education and versatility. By speaking the local language of the consumer, we ensure that when South African fruit hits the shelves, the demand has already been built.
We are preparing to expand into Portugal and the Netherlands this year, launching dedicated accounts for each country so we can connect with even more consumers on a daily basis.
FW: What drove your decision to move your social media management in-house?
SV: The move was about two things: speed and strategic alignment. By bringing this in-house, we’ve achieved cost efficiencies but, more importantly, we can react instantly to market trends and align more closely with our consumers in each country. If a specific health trend or recipe goes viral in Europe, we can pivot our messaging within hours. This agility has led to significantly higher engagement rates.
For our members, this means their investment is being used more efficiently to create a direct, authentic connection with the person actually buying the fruit in the supermarket, turning digital interest into physical sales. It also allows us to build deeper data insights across the markets.
Since transitioning in-house, we’ve built a highly localised, data-driven approach across five European markets. We test, learn, share insights across countries, and continuously refine our strategy based on real-time performance data.
FW: What is your influencer strategy, and how do you choose the right candidates?
SV: We view lifestyle influencers not as celebrities but as modern-day opinion leaders in food and health. Over the past eight months, we’ve partnered with more than 95 carefully selected creators. They act as educators, explaining the nutritional density of avocados, and as amplifiers, showing how the fruit fits into a busy, modern lifestyle.
This year, with major global sporting events on the horizon, we are targeting sports and performance nutrition voices. By linking avocados to energy and recovery, we’re positioning the product as a functional superfood for active consumers, which is a segment that’s willing to pay a premium for quality.
FW: Social media algorithms are always changing, so how do you ensure your message reaches the right people without spending a fortune on advertising?
SV: We’ve moved away from a shotgun approach to a sniper approach. Since bringing our digital operations in-house, 99% of our reach has been organic, which means we aren’t just buying views; we’re earning them through high-quality content.
We performed an intensive audience clean-up to ensure we weren’t just talking to anyone but specifically to the primary household shoppers and the health-conscious Gen Z demographic. Because we now own and analyse our own consumer data, we know exactly what time of day, what format, and what tone of voice works for each market.
This data-driven foundation ensures WAO members are getting maximum visibility for every cent invested, effectively pre-selling the crop before it even arrives at the port.
FW: Recipes form a big part of social media accounts aimed at boosting consumption of specific foods. How much of your work focuses on developing new recipes and new ways to eat avocados? Is this done internally or by your influencers?
SV: It’s a collaborative effort. Recipe development is the engine room of demand. With new recipes, we want to inspire people to make avocados part of their everyday healthy meals.
We develop original, social media-friendly recipes internally. For instance, our Italian account manager is a professional-level cook who creates content that’s shared across all our markets. We also lean on user-generated content, where everyday consumers share their own avocado recipes.
This is incredibly powerful, because it feels authentic and encourages other consumers within their community to try something new, directly supporting increased demand for avocados.
FW: How does social media spend compare with traditional in-store promotions or print ads?
SV: Social media engagement is currently one of the most cost-effective tools in our marketing toolbox to improve visibility.
A standout example is our unpaid collaboration with Mr. Wonderful, one of Spain’s most recognisable lifestyle brands, for World Avocado Day. Through this simple partnership, we reached more than 320 000 consumers and generated 13 600 active comments, at zero cost in advertising spend. Achieving that level of visibility through traditional print or television ads would have cost tens of thousands of euros.
While we still believe in a mix of marketing, including public relations and retail support, social media allows us to maintain a constant daily presence in consumers’ minds. This keeps avocados top of mind and helps our members maintain and grow their market share in Europe.
FW: Which platforms are currently the most effective for moving the needle on European demand?
SV: It depends entirely on the target demographic. In Spain, where we focus on families and older millennials, Facebook and Instagram are our primary tools. In markets where we are courting the younger Gen Z audience, TikTok and Instagram take centre stage.
We’re also seeing great success with LinkedIn for our business-to-business communication, ensuring European retailers and importers are aware of the work we’re doing to support their sales. We also have a strong presence on YouTube and are currently fine-tuning our strategy, particularly around YouTube Shorts (vertical videos designed for mobile viewing).
We have a clear roadmap for 2026: more markets, more consumers, and stronger demand for our members’ fruit. For South African growers in particular, who are among Europe’s key suppliers, WAO membership means being part of a coordinated effort to secure and grow market share in a highly competitive environment.
Our role is to keep European consumers excited about avocados, today and for the next generation, so that every carton arriving from South Africa enters a market where demand has been actively cultivated and continues to grow.
Email Shelly Vorster at [email protected]. Follow the WOA on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/world-avocado-organisation and on YouTube at youtube.com/@worldAvocadoOrganisation.
