• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, 5 hours ago

With demand for pistachios more than doubling in the last decade—and a record-setting harvest on the way—Wonderful Pistachios is cracking open a bold new campaign. The “Don’t Hold Back Snack” effort aims to reframe pistachios as a guilt-free indulgence, spotlighting their flavor and health benefits through a mix of absurdist humor, pumped-up protein messaging, and strategic out-of-home domination.

Directed by Harold Einstein, known for comedic campaigns, the new ads are part of a multichannel push that spans video, podcasts, and transit takeovers in key cities. Diana Salsa, vice president of marketing at Wonderful Pistachios, tells Marketing Daily why the brand is ready to shout a little louder—and snack a little harder.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Marketing Daily: You’re expecting the California harvest to hit a record 1.6 billion pounds this fall. Is that what sparked the need for a new campaign?

Diana Salsa: Pistachios are alternate-bearing trees, so they have on and off years. But pistachios have been increasing over time. We've doubled demand over the last 10 years, and we've continued to invest in the category in advertising over the last 15 years. This campaign is us continuing to do what we’ve been doing in building the category.

This effort grew from our research, and the insight that people feel like they have to compromise on snacks—choosing between something healthy or tasty. We are at that magical center of being tasty and healthy. It’s like every day can be cheat day. This is also the first time we’re using one campaign for pistachios with and without shells.

Marketing Daily: Are there two different audiences? Do no-shell fans ever go for the shell-on kind and vice versa?

Salsa: There is very little overlap between our two buyers. And we have products for both. Sometimes the occasion changes the preference—people
like pistachios with shells when they’re watching sports, for example, but no-shell when they are on the go or traveling.

Marketing Daily: In one spot, a woman encases her hands in cement to stop snacking. In another, a guy lets a grizzly bear hug him into submission. Humor’s tricky. Sometimes when ads go too hard on comedy, people forget the product.

Salsa: We worked with director Harold Einstein, who is known for effective comedy. The spots are humorous but support the message in a silly way. We think they will come across crystal-clear.

Marketing Daily: You are using an interesting media mix—TV, video, podcasts, and out-of-home. What’s the main goal?

Salsa: Because this is a bumper crop, we need to reach everyone and meet consumers where they are. Out-of-home is a great way to do that, so we’ll do station dominations in New York and Boston, and transit and trolley wraps in Miami, Philly, and Washington, D.C. You can't not see them when you walk into them, so that'll build great awareness.

But it's also important to talk about other messages, including protein. We're going to tap into podcasts including Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, and Chelsea Handler. People who aren’t using mass transit are listening to podcasts when they drive to work.

Marketing Daily: About that protein message—Americans can’t get enough. Do you see Wonderful Pistachios competing with other protein-forward snacks like almonds? Or granola bars? Or even salty snacks, like chips?

Salsa: Within snack nuts, pistachios are the only complete protein, and that does matter to people who want to make sure their proteins have all nine essential amino acids.

But our flavors appeal to a broader audience, including people who might have been hesitant to try pistachios—and even salty snack or unhealthy snack eaters.

We already are America's No. 1 snack nut. Now we are going after the bigger snacks and salty snacks as a whole. After 15 years, we’re leveling up. We are the ultimate snack you don't have to hold back on—because it's tasty and healthy. And a lot of snacks can't be both. We can.

Marketing Daily: Let’s talk flavors, which are especially important for millennials and Gen Z. How do you think variety expands appeal?

Salsa: We launched Dill Pickle this year, which has been popular, especially with younger audiences. And we focused that launch in convenience stores and in on-the-go packaging, because we know that’s a popular flavor in those stores. We’re always taste-testing flavors that are going to reach different and unique audiences.

Last year, for the first time, we did a limited launch during the holidays, with Sweet Cinnamon. It was the fastest-selling flavor right out of the gate. People like things that are a limited drop.

Marketing Daily: Is there a fun fact about pistachios that tends to surprise people?

Salsa: The male tree doesn't produce any nuts. It has flowers, and the pollination from those flowers blows through the wind to the female trees, which produce all of the nuts.