A new consumer program in India, “Tomorrow Begins Today,” established by Almond Board of California (ABC), helped make almonds the No. 1 nut of choice in India in 2015, bypassing cashews. Although almonds have a rich history in the culture of the country, there still remained room for growth among new consumer groups.
In India, almonds are the food that mothers give their children to ensure success in whatever they do. The time-honored tradition of mothers giving soaked almonds to their children in the morning and gifting almonds during festivals made India a priority for ABC. Building on the traditional significance of enjoying almonds, a campaign was first developed in 2012, which resonated well with the consumer market.
The task at hand was to explore how to continue the growth of almond consumption and further expand the market. This was done through a comprehensive, four-stage consumer research process. The research showed three main target audiences most likely to increase their almond consumption: young, affluent working men, working women and housewives. Additionally, the existing traditional beliefs about almonds resonated equally well with new consumers. The research showed that this audience believed these benefits empower them to achieve success, much like the existing target audiences.
Almonds a Small Investment
The message that resonated the best with the newly defined audience was “Small investments today build into the big successes of tomorrow. Almonds are a small investment in my and my family’s future.” Using this as a basis for messaging, the campaign “Tomorrow Begins Today” was created.
The basic idea driving “Tomorrow Begins Today” is hope. To strengthen this hope, the campaign messaging is focused on “how success is achieved,” as illustrated through the advertising campaign protagonist’s life, during which having almonds every day plays an important role in helping achieve their success.
In order to share the campaign messaging, the first-ever Almond Board of California website for India was launched in July of 2015. The “Tomorrow Begins Today” campaign was also shared through media outreach, radio partnerships and advertising — both print and broadcast. The print advertising included a more educational set of advertorials, which sought to educate consumers on the lesser-known nutrition benefits of almonds such as heart health1, weight management and diabetes management.
The goal for the 2015 campaign was to reach a total of 3.94 billion broadcast impressions. This goal was exceeded, and the campaign reached 4.05 billion broadcast impressions. The campaign also saw the largest number of almond introductions seen in the snack category, which has grown by 100%.
1. Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as almonds, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. One serving of almonds (28g) has 13 grams of unsaturated fat and only 1 gram of saturated fat.
