From game day snacks to brand strategy, ag marketers double down on sports

Sports and produce are two very different industries, but with time, they have become increasingly intertwined. With yummy recipes and funny commercials, ag brands' marketing partnerships with teams and players have been popping up on game night and exposing sports fans to the best of nature—a win-win for everyone involved. But unlike some odd pairings, this collaboration has come naturally, and marketing experts say it's due to the already existing consumer connection between the industries.

Most of us will want to grab a snack when watching a three-hour football game. This is especially true if the snack is a delicious finger food that requires little preparation—enter guacamole. Stephanie Bazan, Vice President of Commercial Strategy & Execution at Avocados From Mexico, says the entity saw in this scenario the perfect opportunity to penetrate the sports market. 

"Guacamole is the number one core usage occasion for avocados," she says. "The food has a strong association with football, so consumers kind of understand they're already buying avocados for the event."

She says that, from both a consumer and an industry perspective, that connection got them a lot of buzz: "It's shocking what avocado is doing here!" Bazan highlights how football games have gone from watch party to social event, where die-hard fans and casual followers come together around snacks. "You're there for the gathering, right? The fun, the events. And what does guac do? Guac unites everybody at the table," she adds.  

A polar bear promoting avocados? The Avocados from Mexico 2015 Super Bowl ad gave its version of the first-ever draft.

Bazan says no one expected to see a Super Bowl commercial from an avocado brand in 2015. But the fruit's funny debut on prime time was a risk worth taking, and its ties with football have only grown ever since. Avocados from Mexico is now the official avocado of the college football playoffs, offers a deck of game day recipes, is a continuous sponsor at all College Football Playoffs games, and has recurring partnerships with players like former tight end for the New England Patriots, Rob Gronkowski.

Even though Avocados from Mexico has a majority market share, Bazan says there wasn't a throughline to tell an avocado story in the fall months, a very important period for the brand. Then they found college football. "You have 1,620 football games viewing occasions between August and December. The way we look at that, that is 1,620 avocado purchasing occasions," she says.

Since the partnership became official, Avocados from Mexico has seen a 10% increase in sales through the fall. Now, the brand has a long-term marketing relationship with the National Football League that feels not only commercial but also just like second nature. That's the power of guac.

In 2023, Avocados from Mexico introduced Guac World during Super Bowl LII.

Kevin Hamilton, Vice President of Global Marketing & Communications at the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC), says this is what makes a partnership successful: "Whether you're partnering with a sports team, a league, or any brand or platform, the key is authentic alignment."

Hamilton has been the head of USHBC marketing for two years, and he believes that the relationship between sports and the produce industry is a natural and underleveraged one.

"At a fundamental level, both are selling a product and promoting wellness—one through physical activity, the other through nutrition," he explains. Hamilton notes that, being one of the last bastions of real-time, non-skippable content, sports greatly benefit those that associate with them, because they "create unique opportunities for brands to engage live audiences through social and experiential activations."

The marketing expert says these types of partnerships will continue to prosper, and with the U.S. set to host both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games, now is the perfect time for produce brands to tap into the market, albeit strategically. 

"Keep in mind that today’s consumer, especially when it comes to food, is highly discerning. So, forced or inauthentic partnerships will fall flat," Hamilton warns. "Success comes when the collaboration feels organic and genuinely resonates with the target audience."

Update, August 1, 2025, at 2:05pm:

This story has been updated to clarify that Avocados of Mexico doesn't have a partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars.