[00:00:00] Donny: Many of the most memorable brand campaigns have been driven by cutting edge marketers who are driving innovation in massive growth for some of the most beloved brands. This season, we’re getting a fresh perspective and highlighting women marketers who are making an impact in both crypto and mainstream brands.

[00:00:20] As always, we’ll discuss the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing our in. While uncovering the brave marketing moments that have led these marketers to where they are today, hosted by Brave Software and me, Donnie Devor.

[00:00:38] You’re listening to a new episode of The Brave Marketer Podcast. And this one features Kelly Burke. Kelly is the Associate Director of brand marketing and strategy at Avocados from Mexico, which is actually the number one avocado brand in the US for over 11 years. She is passionate about building brands that touch people’s lives every day.

[00:00:58] Kelly’s worked on a [00:01:00] lot of household names like Frito Lay, Chick-Fil-A. Central market game, Stop de Joyo. And prior to avocados from Mexico, Kelly was the brand manager for Doritos where she got to work on the multibillion dollar Super Bowl campaigns.

[00:01:13] I think you’re really gonna like this episode because we talk a lot about the Superbowl campaign. We talk about. How it’s an omnichannel approach and how you have to do a lot of advertising and marketing leading up to the Super Bowl and then in the weeks after the Super Bowl as well. It’s not just about the ad.

[00:01:27] And then we talk a little bit about Web three and how she was testing that early on with IBM Watson and the blockchain, and then fts, and then we talk about what’s going on right now in marketing, which is authentic, purpose driven marketing that showcases your brand. As far as our pick of the week goes, I’m actually gonna talk about the Brave Wallet,

[00:01:45] and you can go to brave.com/wallet and you’ll see that the wallet is designed with privacy first, and it’s secure by default. It’s a multi chain wallet.

[00:01:56] And there’s a great chart on that website that shows how it compares to [00:02:00] other wallets like Meta Mask or Coinbase or Phantom Wallets. And we score high on basically everything that you’d want outta wallet. So go ahead and check out Brave Wallet, and now for this week’s episode of The Brave Market.

[00:02:14] Good morning, Kelly. How are you doing today?

[00:02:25] Kelly: I’m doing great. I’m excited to be here.

[00:02:27] Donny: Yeah, we’re excited to have you on the Rave Marketer podcast. for those of people who don’t know about avocados from Mexico, I’m sure they do by now because they watched the Super Bowl, they’ve seen you.

[00:02:39] But can you just kind of give a general overview of

[00:02:41] Kelly: the company? Yeah, absolutely. So we are the number one selling brand of avocados in the us But what is funny about avocados from Mexico is that we don’t actually sell anything. So we’re a nonprofit organization that was formed in 2013 as a joint venture between the Mexican [00:03:00] Haas Avocado Importers Association and the Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico.

[00:03:07] So they came together and. Organization called Avocados from Mexico to promote the advertising support and research of avocados from Mexico. The fruit altogether, these two organizations represent over 30,000 growers, 250 importers, and 74 packers. So we have the great privilege of, you know, representing them in the US and really driving demand for avocados as well as building a brand for

[00:03:34] Donny: Mexico.

[00:03:35] Got it. So it’s almost like, not a co-op, but like they pull their money together. Yeah. Yes, exactly. And then they put it towards marketing. Is marketing the main source of where the funds from the companies go to?

[00:03:48] Kelly: Yes, We are a marketing organization, a non-profit marketing organization. So that is.

[00:03:53] All we do, we do brain marketing, shopper marketing, food service, marketing, digital marketing. And so really our [00:04:00] organization was formed with a dual purpose in mind to build a brand and then to also drive demand.

[00:04:06] Donny: Right? So this is may be a little weird question, but like a lot of non-for-profits are. The reason that they’re not of for profits is because it’s like, you know, for charity or something,like it’s giving back why not for profit and just not like a profitable marketing agency, almost like, a digital marketing agency or irregular agency, but you’re just focusing on one.

[00:04:25] Sector one category.

[00:04:27] Kelly: Yeah, So I think the reason there is because, you know, there’s two entities coming together. basically two governments coming together. And so obviously there is an exchange of goods, but it’s all of the, you know, growers, packers.

[00:04:39] Importers, they’re the ones who are actually, making the profits, but they’re pulling their resources together under one of the U S D A checkoff programs to be able to utilize those funds, to promote their product.

[00:04:50] Donny: got it. Makes sense. Yeah. So if governments are involved, it’s like, yeah, you don’t want, a regular company representing it.

[00:04:56] You want something that’s like Exactly. Unbiased, non-for-profit. Yeah, exactly. [00:05:00] Good. Okay, so let’s just jump into marketing side of things. Yeah. You have been a huge supporter of the Super Bowl and running Super Bowl ads. Yeah. When did that first start and tell us kind of like the Super Bowl commercial story, if you will.

[00:05:17] Kelly: So a lot of people would ask, why would a avocado brand advertise and spend most of its marketing budget on the Super Bowl? And just to break that down a little bit more, if you were to fill a stadium, like a football stadium with all of the avocados that were purchased leading up to the Super Bowl, you would be able to fill that stadium 12 feet high with guacamole,

[00:05:39] So it’s a ton of product. It makes a ton of sense from a strategic standpoint. To be in that moment because we’re one of very few brands and products who are actually being consumed by, you know, the viewers while the game is going on the screen. And for us, because our product is grown all year [00:06:00] round, so Misha Aon, Mexico is where, we grow our avocado.

[00:06:04] It’s the only place on earth that has four blooms of avocados. And because of its, you know, rich volcanic soil and really mild climate, we’re able to have avocados all year round. And so when it’s Super Bowl timeframe, it’s winter everywhere else. We are basically the only avocado in the market. Avocado that you’re eating in your Glock is definitely avocados from Mexico.

[00:06:27] And because we don’t have packaging, it’s hard for consumers to make that connection between the brand and the product. And so we saw this as an opportunity to really put our brand on the big stage while they were consuming our product.

[00:06:42] Donny: Got it. That makes sense. Kind of a, I think I know the answer, but.

[00:06:46] If your product is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday and you’re running a commercial on the day that’s consumed, Yeah, but you really need to buy it. is it too late or are you almost like saying All right, they’ll [00:07:00] consume it more and then they’ll want it more the next week, or they’ll remember it for next year, like, is it too

[00:07:04] Kelly: late?

[00:07:05] That’s such a great question. So what we say is the Super Bowl is actually art’s skew to build out a really integrated campaign that starts three to four weeks before the Super Bowl and lasts three to four weeks after the Super Bowl. Mm. So we actually. Start our efforts, you know, in January with our shopper marketing programs.

[00:07:24] So you’ll start to see that stuff seed into store. Then we also layer in some digital activations to help drive that shopper programming. And then you’ll see our spot and then you know, the following few weeks are just kind of the rest of the campaign rolling out. So it gives us a lot of, moving pieces.

[00:07:44] But really, Super Bowl is kind of the tent pole that anchors it. .

[00:07:47] Donny: Yeah. And I’ve seen, I don’t know for you personally, from Mexico, but a lot of times companies will get PR from doing a Super Bowl spot. Yeah. So the companies, you know, the news organizations will talk about the spots that are [00:08:00] coming up in the week prior to the Super Bowl.

[00:08:02] Have have you benefited from that as well?

[00:08:04] Kelly: Yes, we have actually over the. Past, I think seven years that we’ve been in the Super Bowl, we have actually garnered over 50 billion impressions .

[00:08:13] Donny:

[00:08:14] Kelly: So it has been a really successful play for us. It’s not just about the ad or the Super Bowl spot itself, but it’s really about the surround, the PR impressions, the digital impressions, the social impressions that we get.

[00:08:27] So it really adds a lot of value to being in the Super Bowl.

[00:08:31] Donny: Got it. All right. So why don’t we start talking a little bit more about your career. this podcast is called The Brave Marketer Podcast because we wanna talk about people’s brave moments in their career when they’ve taken a huge risk. So can you talk about your brave marketing moment?

[00:08:46] Kelly: Yeah, I vividly remember, back in 2019, I was sitting in my CMOs office. this is still when I worked at Frito Lay, and we were debating whether or not to put [00:09:00] a 62nd ad into the Super Bowl versus the 32nd media buy that we had. And this was for Doritos. So, Basically we were debating a multi billion dollar decision in this one meeting, and my cmo, she says, Close your eyes.

[00:09:16] Everyone. Close your eyes. We’re gonna do a vote. We’re gonna vote on this. And there were five of us, like on the team. And I didn’t have any data to back up this decision. so I was really just going off of gut and she asked, Raise your hand if you think we should run a 60. And without a doubt, I just raised my hand, like, just out of, you know, instinct.

[00:09:35] She goes, Open your eyes. And everyone but one person had raised their. And it was just kind of a moment of validation. So we ended up running a 60 based on that decision. Hm. And the ad actually went on to, place number four on the USA Today ad beater. It won a fe, it won a Reggie. It was an amazing campaign.

[00:09:57] it was when we relaunched Cool Ranch. [00:10:00] And I think that moment for me, I know as marketers, we love data. We love to, build our strategies around data, but sometimes it just takes a little bit of creative courage to really push the brand into a new direction and into the right direction. So I learned a lot from that experience and, that was probably the bravest moment, marketing moment.

[00:10:27] I’ve, had. That’s awesome.

[00:10:29] Donny: Good. I’m glad it worked out well. That’s amazing that you had Efy and all the other awards. Back to today’s time period, what’s the most exciting thing you’re working on right now?

[00:10:38] Kelly: Yeah, so one of the challenges, as I had mentioned about being a brand in a brandless category and a produce brand that doesn’t have packaging, is that oftentimes when people are consuming your product, they’re not really thinking about your brand because we don’t have that impression of the package.

[00:10:54] And so what I’m trying to do is really build a deeper emotional connection with consumers. [00:11:00] And so we’re exploring tactics like brand experiences. One thing that we’re doing is building a brand activation at South by Southwest where we’re going to utilize, you know, AR and, and technology to really surprise and delight our consumers to really help people, build up the good times and the good associations that they have with the brand.

[00:11:22] So Our brand positioning is always good. and it’s anchored on the good times. having good taste and good flavor, and then also just it being good for you because it’s a super food. What we wanna do is really build this hub for consumers to have essentially this house of goodness where they can really enjoy the brand and make that connection between the brand and the

[00:11:43] Donny: product.

[00:11:43] That’s great. So talk to me about, Career sleigh. ,

[00:11:48] Kelly: Yeah. So I was actually giving a talk about avocados from Mexico at smu, which is a college here in Dallas. I went through the whole brand, history and spiel and at the end of it I asked the [00:12:00] students, you know, Hey, what questions do you have for me?

[00:12:02] Instead of asking me questions about avocados, they were asking me questions about my career and how I got to where I got to and how I got to work on these amazing Superbowl campaigns. Cause that’s what they’re

[00:12:13] Donny: thinking about, right? They’re thinking about their career. If you’re in college, you’re like, What am I doing after college?

[00:12:17] Like, I don’t care about avocados. I care about what I’m gonna do next. All of what’s in it for me. Right? W I f.

[00:12:24] Kelly: exactly. So it really lit, you know, just this spark in me I realized that hey, there’s a lot of career podcasts and content out there, but when do we ever get a chance to really break down a career journey and, find people who really enjoy what they do for me?

[00:12:43] I love what I do. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. it took me a while to figure out my career path and to really love what I did. And so I just wanna be able to share those types of stories with people who are either switching their careers or new in their careers. And for me [00:13:00] personally, that became so important when you know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer while I was pregnant.

[00:13:05] And so, , those experiences really changed my outlook on life and how I prioritize my time. And we spend almost, a third of our lives working. And so I wanted to make sure that whatever I was doing with my time, I was doing it in a way that made me happy.

[00:13:24] Donny: Yeah, you kind of just threw a nugget at me with the breast cancer, so I’m sorry that you’re going.

[00:13:29] Kelly: Oh, I’m good.Just letting you know I’m Yes, I’m cancer free, so, Oh,

[00:13:33] Donny: good for you. Congratulations. Yeah, and it’s amazing. That is probably a braver marketing moment than this. Choosing a 62nd Superbowl spot.

[00:13:43] So over here at Brave, we’re talking a lot about the metaverses, about Web three, about, mm-hmm. like innovation, technology. Is that a conversation that you guys are bringing up at all at avocados in Mexico?

[00:13:55] Kelly: yes, we are talking about it quite a bit and I think, you know, the challenge for us is figuring [00:14:00] out a way to get into this space in a way that’s authentic for our brand.

[00:14:05] Mm-hmm. . And also keeping in mind our core consumer is, you know, an older millennial to, Gen Xer. So it’s not quite. Audience that is currently in Web three right now, or is aware of Web three right now. So we’re trying to figure out what is the way that we can still be innovative as a brand, but also, you know, stay true to the strategy.

[00:14:27] And so for us, you know, Whether that’s exploring, you know, loyalty programs and mind you, we have actually done NFTs and blockchain. We were actually the first produce brand to do NFTs and blockchain back in 2020. Yeah. We’ve partnered with IBM Watson. You know, we’ve done a lot of. Technological, activations that really push the boundaries for what a produce brand normally does, but we don’t wanna chase, you know, shiny objects.

[00:14:53] So we wanna make sure that whatever we end up doing is anchored to our strategy. And right now we’re still figuring it out. We’re still figuring out what that [00:15:00] strategy is. .

[00:15:01] Donny: Yeah, I was just doing an interview with Densu that will be published actually next season. So next season’s gonna be all about Web three and the Metaverse.

[00:15:09] Mm-hmm. . And I was asking about like the percentage of brands that are getting into it and I was like really pushing hard on that percentage. And it’s like, you know, you can’t give an exact number, but it’s low, right? It’s like low, like everybody’s thinking about it, but the number of ones that are jumping in is, is low.

[00:15:24] I think a lot of brands’ concerns is. The amount of audience that are on these platforms is still low. When you talk about like the games out there, like Splinter Land or Decent Land, or Upland or you know mm-hmm. , you really look at like the number of daily users. You’re not talking about millions and millions of users yet.

[00:15:43] Yeah. And so if, there’s a small marketing team or even a large marketing team, you have to make bets on, like, where are you going to put your, not only your dollars, but your effort and your time, because doing something like that takes a lot of. Effort and time and strategic thinking. So it [00:16:00] makes sense to watch the area very closely and you know, wait for the right moment where there is a larger audience there, but you’ve studied this, space, and then you can just, you know, it’s kind of like brave heart, like hold, hold, hold.

[00:16:15] And then like, all right, now we’re ready to do it. You know,you don’t wanna rush into it. Waste a ton of time when you don’t get something out of it. And, and I dunno if that’s your experience with the, you know, with the IBM Watson thing, I mean, you got some press out of it that I read about mm-hmm.

[00:16:29] But was there anything more than that, I’m guessing

[00:16:32] Kelly: know? You know, so, so our approach to, you know, integrating with technology has really been utilizing our tent pole Super Bowl moment. the way to extract the most value and get that pr, get that buzz, and really drive innovation. But then, you know, beyond that, you know, it’s a campaign, right?

[00:16:51] So it’s not an ongoing activation. So I think that’s really what we’re trying to work through with Web three is like we [00:17:00] know that this is going to be. Basically the future of the internet, right? And so how are we approaching it in a way that is really tied to a longer term strategy versus just a shiny object?

[00:17:12] Got

[00:17:12] Donny: it. So Kelly, let’s talk about marketing in general right now. Like you’ve been to a lot of conferences, you recently at Brand Week. What are you seeing going on as the most pressing issues for marketers? Right.

[00:17:25] Kelly: Yeah. You know, I think really the name of the game is authenticity. Yep. That was such a resonating theme of Brand Week as well.

[00:17:35] But as marketers, , there is so much. That we own. You know, we have so much responsibility. We manage these multimillion dollar media budgets. We have a lot of influence over culture and how people perceive the world. And so I think what people are starting to gravitate to, what consumers are starting to gravitate to is the fact [00:18:00] that they don’t wanna be sold to.

[00:18:02] Nobody wants to be sold to. And so, and they also wanna believe in something. They wanna believe in brands that have a purpose, they wanna believe in, you know, companies that really act the way that they say that the values that they want to live up to. And so, you know, that’s the challenge for us as marketers is because we are kind of the tip of the spear.

[00:18:24] Like everything that we do. It’s seen, so, and it mm-hmm. , and, you know, rightly so, we pay to be seen. But how do we show up in a way that is authentic to not only our, you know, brands, but in a way that adds value for consumers, Especially because we’re in inflationary times where it’s not enough for a brand to just be a product.

[00:18:48] We have to actually deliver more value to consumers. And what I mean by that, you know, in the case of like avocados, like we’re helping people be happier and healthier in their lives. [00:19:00] So what is that way in that brands can really show up for consumers and not just be a product on a shelf.

[00:19:07] Donny: Mm-hmm.

[00:19:08] Did you see Good other examples at brand week of other brands being authentic?

[00:19:12] Kelly: Oh yeah. You know, so many, Let me think of one that was really inspiring. I know that there’s a lot of brands who are utilizing influencers nowadays, and I think that, like him, hers was a really great example. I think they partnered, I don’t remember what the influencer’s name was, but they partnered with an influencer and they really, dove into, you know, mental health issues.

[00:19:34] and just really the other side. You know, being an influencer because of being a content creator, because there’s so much that goes into, you know, you’re basically a one person agency, and so you don’t really see that side of, you know, influencers because it’s always, manicured and like, everything looks like perfection.

[00:19:55] And so I think just having that authentic lens and seeing a brand like him and [00:20:00] hers, you know, try to uplift, their partnerships and their, influencers. It was really.

[00:20:05] Donny: That’s great. What do you think it takes, you know, besides authenticity to be a bold marketer right

[00:20:10] Kelly: now? I think another issue that, you know, we’re trying to.

[00:20:14] really catch up to is just diversity and inclusion. Mm-hmm. and, you know, in my experience, it’s something that comes up like almost every other day. We know that the fabric of, you know, the demographics are changing in our country and we as brands have to really represent people in the right light and in the right way.

[00:20:37] It takes a lot of courage because, You don’t know what your blind spots are and as a marketer, you know, every day you’re representing people in a certain way or you know, with your product and you wanna make sure that you are doing it respectfully. And also just being representative of the people who are consuming your product as well.

[00:20:58] Donny: Yeah,

[00:20:58] Kelly: That’s

[00:20:58] Donny: awesome. Well, [00:21:00] Kelly, how can our audience get in touch with.

[00:21:01] Kelly: Yeah, so you can find me on Instagram at Curb Slay, or look us up on wherever you get your podcast. Gotcha. And how about you personally? Me personally? Oh, okay. . You can find me at Kelly Poke Burke. So that’s pokey spelled like pop quiz without the second p

[00:21:19] Donny: Nice . I’m sure you’ve said that a thousand times, Do you foresee yourself running a Super Bowl every single year? Super

[00:21:25] Kelly: Bowl ahead. Yeah, if I wanna have a job. I think so. .

[00:21:31] Donny: Well, on that note, thank you so much for coming on

[00:21:33] Kelly: the show.

[00:21:34] Thank you so much.

[00:21:37] Donny: Thanks so much for listening to another episode of The Brave Marketer Podcast. Four quick things before you go. Number one. If you like what you’ve heard, it’d be really awesome if you’d rate us or write us a review on your podcast player. And if you didn’t like what you’ve heard, then don’t worry about it.

[00:21:54] Number two, if you would like to advertise to Braves 60 million users and have a [00:22:00] budget of $10,000 or more, simply email us at add. sales@brave.com. That’s ad, S A L E s@brave.com. And let us know you’re our podcast listener for a 25% discount. Number three musical credits. Go to my brother Ari Devor. And finally number four, go use brave@brave.com and we’ll see you next time on The Brave Marketer.