Emerald Is Nuts About NCAA Final Four
March 26, 2009: Flying in the face of declining peanut category sales due a salmonella outbreak, Diamond Foods is extending March Madness into April with three new ads for its Emerald brand that will debut on CBS during the NCAA men's basketball tournament semifinal games on April 4 and run again during the championship game on April 6. The campaign comes at a time when sales of peanut products have been curtailed due a salmonella outbreak involving items from the Peanut Corporation of America. Diamond Foods said its products are not part of the recall and that "Emerald achieved a new market share record of 8% for the four week period ended Feb. 21." The ads are the latest generation of Emerald’s “Natural Energy” campaign, from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, that depicts "the bad things that can happen when you don’t eat Emerald Nuts at 3 P.M." In "Falling," a man opens the wrong door in an airplane and he and fellow passengers are sucked out. In "Prison," inmates escape because a guard fell asleep. And in "Therapist," a patient sets her doctor's office on fire. The campaign also includes print, POP and Internet at www.Emeraldnuts.com. Spend for the campaign was not disclosed. “The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is one of television’s most high profile events and is a natural snacking occasion,” Andrew Burke, svp-marketing for Diamond Foods, San Francisco, said in a statement. “The Final Four and national championship contests always generate a tremendous amount of excitement, and therefore the games provide an ideal venue in which to debut our new campaign."
According to Diamond Foods, "The Peanut Corporation of America has announced a voluntary recall of all peanuts and peanut products from its Blakely, Ga., facility relating to an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Diamond Foods does not use any products from PCA in the manufacture of its Emerald, Emerald/Harmony or Diamond branded products. We are providing this informatoin at the suggestion of the FDA." Back to Home Page
See Emerald TV spots here.
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