• by Steve Ellwanger , July 13, 2022

When are almonds weapons?

When they’re wielded by Almond Board of California character Al and aligned with Marvel Studios’ new motion picture “Thor: Love and Thunder.”

Al made his public debut earlier this year in a millennial-focused campaign that positioned almonds as a “Friend In Wellness” owing to such nutrients as vitamin E and magnesium.

It was based on research into a holistic definition of wellness that takes into account how almonds can fit into a program of  “good sleep, managing stress, meditation," according to Almond Board North America marketing manager Becky Jeffers.

“We needed to home in a little bit more on the millennial audience and understand more about their needs,” Jeffers tells Marketing Daily. “They’re a key demographic and they’re snackers.”

An almond-shaped character with a human face and limbs, Al first appeared in this commercial from the Sterling Rice Group to explain how “skincare isn’t skin-deep” and that almonds can help because they contain 50% of the recommended daily value of vitamin E.

“We think highlighting some of these great nutrients is relevant today when people are looking more for their snacks to do something for them,” says Jeffers.

When Marvel Studios saw a spot titled “Do You Almond?” in which a young woman splits logs with an axe, the company approached the Almond Board about a partnership.

“They really liked the ad and thought that it could fit well with the ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ tone and theme,” says Jeffers.

The result for the Almond Board—which represents almond growers and whose mission is to build global demand—is a movie partnership in the United States and various overseas markets.

Hence this spot, in which Al sneaks onto a Thor-like film set to extoll the virtues of almonds—referring to them as “weapons of wellness.”

Starring Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth and Christian Bale, “Thor: Love and Thunder” earned $143 million in North America when it opened last weekend. As of Monday, its box office take in 47 global territories was just over $300 million.