• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, October 24, 2011

After 30 years of heavy reliance on word-of-mouth advocacy, Diamond Foods, Inc.’s Kettle Brand Potato Chips are getting star treatment with a major new campaign that includes the brand’s first national television advertising.

The campaign, themed “Nobody Likes Kettle Chips. They Love Them,” kicked off this week with national TV spots, print ads, public relations, in-store marketing, digital display ads, online video and social media. This is Diamond Foods’ second campaign with agency Deutsch/LA.

The humorous, dialogue-free TV spots (three 30-second and three 15-second versions) portray fans of the batch-cooked, all natural potato chips in everyday moments in which they are eagerly anticipating satisfying their craving for the chips, only to have their hopes dashed by various glitches. One spot shows a boy’s crushed expression as his teacher confiscates his secret bag of Kettle Chips (and proceeds to eat them herself). In another, a man at work desperately scrounges up enough change to buy a bag of the chips; his facial expression shifts from excited to gravely disappointed as the bag gets stuck in the vending machine.

Original opera-music soundtracks in each spot reinforce the emotional drama in tongue-in-cheek fashion. The opera scores, sung in Italian and German by real opera singers, were recorded at London’s Abbey Road Studios. The music incorporates funny phrases that mash up English and Italian or German words.

The campaign’s creative was inspired by real consumers describing their passion for the chips and “the extraordinary lengths they go to during ordinary moments to get, save and enjoy their favorite Kettle Brand chips,” said Craig Tokusato, VP of marketing for Diamond Foods.

The TV ads launched on Oct. 16 on Sunday Night Football, national network prime-time programming, and cable channels, and also aired during the Major League Baseball World Series opening game on Oct. 19.

In conjunction with the media campaign, Diamond gave away 30,000 bags of Kettle Brand chips to celebrate the brand’s upcoming 30th anniversary and thank fans for their loyalty. Fans who registered on the brand’s Facebook page received a coupon in the mail for a free bag.

This campaign is the latest in a long tradition of investment in growth and brand building by the company across its portfolio, including Diamond of California, Emerald, Pop Secret and Kettle Brand. 

Diamond Foods reports that Kettle Brand’s U.S. sales in mass retail channels increased by 6.9% during the 12-week period ending Oct. 1, per Nielsen FDMx data. Diamond’s portfolio also includes the Diamond of California, Emerald and Pop Secret brands.