California Walnuts’ “Be Merry. Feel Good.” holiday campaign in the U.S. market is targeting shoppers during the year’s peak walnut purchasing period and creating new opportunities for retailers to capture incremental sales as consumers seek ingredients for seasonal recipes and entertaining.
The campaign builds on the industry’s “California Walnuts. Feel Good.” consumer initiative, which aims to modernize the image of California walnuts and reposition them as a must-have ingredient, according to a news release. Complete with a fresh, energetic visual identity, the industrywide effort is expanding the target audience to include millennial and Gen Z shoppers while enhancing engagement with those who already know and love California walnuts.
“The holidays are a critical time for the nut category, and this campaign helps ensure walnuts remain highly visible and top of mind as shoppers make purchase decisions,” says Christine Lott, director of integrated communications for the California Walnut Board and Commission. “With many gatherings of friends and family over a meal this time of year, California walnuts are a great fit, providing a feel-good ingredient that can elevate holiday dishes. The pairing of seasonal promotions and in-store activations with consumer awareness efforts shows shoppers how walnuts can elevate their holiday recipes and entertaining, while helping retailers drive sales.”
For retailers, California Walnuts is offering comprehensive merchandising support, including seasonal displays, retail-tagged ads, in-store promotions and shopper marketing programs designed to maximize sales. These efforts are reinforced by consumer-facing media that drives awareness and traffic, including connected TV, YouTube, social platforms, podcasts and consumer publications, the release says.
Beyond the store, influencer partnerships in cooking, wellness, lifestyle and entertaining highlight walnut versatility in the formats younger consumers engage with most. Experiential events add real-world touch points, giving shoppers opportunities to taste walnuts and learn about their flavor and nutritional benefits.
