• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

National Pickle Day may seem like a run-of-the-mill sales gimmick, but Grillo’s treats the unofficial holiday like a real retail occasion. It’s taken the day so seriously, in fact, that CMO Mark Luker says Nov. 14 now represents its fourth-biggest sales day of the year, after more pickle-icious holidays like Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day.

Luker tells Marketing Daily that focusing on Grillo’s as a brand that’s all about fun is what makes it work. “Retailers pick up that energy — better displays, fun balloons — and it gives us a whole new window.”

This year, the brand is expanding its celebrations with a three-city series of bar takeovers: Bar Snack in New York, Small Victories in Boston, and a skate-park-meets-concert event in Tampa. The activations include pickle-inspired dishes and cocktails, live music, tattoos, merch drops, and appearances from longtime Grillo’s team members — including cofounder Eddie Andre.

Alongside the IRL events, Grillo’s is rolling out a flurry of collaborations, including a returning Pickle Schmear with PopUp Bagels, an All-American Smashburger with Mellow Mushroom, a limited-edition pickle-scented candle with P.F. Candle Co., and a co-branded Zippo lighter. The brand sees these partnerships as a way to keep momentum in a category experiencing both hype and saturation. “Where there’s fun, there’s Grillo’s — and where there’s Grillo’s, there’s fun,” Luker says. “That’s the guardrail for the collabs we choose.”

Sometimes those partnerships are out there, like last year’s pickle toothpaste. “I’ll admit, my jaw was on the floor when the creative team suggested it. But it really worked for us. Taking smart chances is one of our core values here.” (Grillo’s is owned by Irresistible Foods Group, parent of the King’s Hawaiian sweet bread brands.)

Another win, building steam each year: the company’s Pickle Bouquet for Valentine’s Day.

Flexing as a fun and eclectic brand works better than a health message. As a better-for-you product in a better-for-you category, efforts to focus on nutrition or the brand's low-calorie qualities didn’t resonate, he says. Instead, marketing is designed to reach beyond pickle culture and into the broader snacking universe. Messaging leans on what Luker calls “bumper-sticker language,” like “Chill out — eat a pickle” and “Friends don’t let friends eat warm pickles.”

The strategy contributed to last summer’s successful Sonic partnership, which featured a pickle-in-everything LTO. “The Sonic partnership drove about a point of household penetration for us,” he says. “Unaided awareness jumped 4%, and summer sales were up 28%.”

For now, the brand says it measures success less by isolated sales than by engagement — both online and on the ground, including large audiences (like NASCAR events) and small pop-ups. “There’s a gut feel when you’re at these events,” he says. “When fans show up, tag us, and tell us we’re the only pickles they’ll buy now, that’s the signal we got it right.”