• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, February 16, 2007

If evidence were needed that a Super Bowl campaign consists of more than just an ad, consider the case of Emerald Nuts.

Parent Diamond Foods reports Emerald Nuts January sales were up 68% over the same month in 2006, and that's before the commercial starring Robert Goulet even started to air. IRI reports Emerald dollar sales for the four-week January period of $4.6 million (excluding Wal-Mart), which also reflects a 25% increase over December sales.

The nutty spot that drew strong reviews from critics and consumers broke during the Feb. 4 Super Bowl.

The pre-Bowl marketing blitz included in-store displays, a nationally distributed newspaper insert with coupon and an online campaign driving people to the Web site. These marketing components and an extensive PR campaign generated awareness of Emerald's commercial from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco.

The campaign continues on the Web.

Traffic to EmeraldNuts.com on the Monday after the game tripled compared to the same day last year, and views on YouTube of the 30-second ad featuring Goulet hit the 1 million mark in five days.

Combining the brand's trademark offbeat sense of humor with the star power of Goulet, the campaign conveyed the message that nuts are an excellent source of natural energy during the time of day when people need it the most.

The Web site features an ongoing campaign surrounding Goulet's office antics, which were popularized by the commercial in which he played tricks on low-energy snoozing workers.