How We Grow

AROUND THE WORLD Almond Board Marketing Team Partners with Marvel Studios There are few partnerships the Almond Board of California could embark on that could create more visibility than teaming up with Marvel Studios, the biggest movie franchise in the world. By partnering with Marvel Studios on the release of their fourth movie in the Thor sub-franchise Thor: Love and Thunder, the Almond Board was able to connect the power of almonds with the superpowers of Thor and Mighty Thor. The Beginning: In a Land Far Away … Well, Kind Of Marvel's international team reached out to Dariela Roffe-Rackind, ABC's Regional Director for the European Region when they saw the U.K. program's Do You Almond? ad campaign which feature fun, quirky situations that celebrate those who fuel themselves with almonds. "They thought the unique tone and message of the U.K. campaign along with the highly nutritious product we are promoting would make California almonds a perfect partner," said Emily Fleischmann, ABC's vice president of Global Market Development, who has been involved with the campaign from the beginning. ABC's marketing team quickly saw a unique opportunity to connect Thor's journey to the wellness of almonds. "With Thor's own journey that would guide him in this epic adventure, we couldn't have imagined a more organic synergy to inspire people around the world to live well," Fleischmann said. "Many around the world can relate to the feeling of wanting to make healthy lifestyle choices — whether you're on an epic journey of self- discovery like Thor or taking on everyday tasks — almonds are a great snack." Because of that synergy, the partnership quickly became a multimarket media opportunity. The Almond Board partnered with Marvel in five countries — the U.S., India, the United Kingdom, Italy and Mexico — to co-promote almonds and the release of Thor: Love and Thunder. The partnership offered a powerful opportunity to engage with almond consumers in a breakthrough way, by leveraging the popularity and deep fan engagement that only Marvel Studios can offer. Adding God-Like Powers to Current Messaging The advertising creative tapped into local campaign storylines in each of the pre-determined five markets, enabling ABC to further it's message — seamlessly — across both consumer audiences and the huge Marvel fan base. "We worked hand in hand with the Marvel Studios team to find the most compelling integration points for almonds and Thor in each country. It was so exciting to collaborate with Marvel and see how excited their entire team was about California almonds," said Chad Walker, group creative director at Sterling-Rice Group, ABC's lead agency partner on this project. For instance, in the U.S., the marketing campaign focuses on wellness and how almonds play an important role in helping people — especially millennials — stay healthy. The Thor ad paired the fun-loving, enthusiastic character Al the Almond with two of Thor's weapons — Mjolnir and Stormbreaker — to show how almonds are weapons too; weapons of wellness. "The timing of this partnership was perfect because in January 2022 the Almond Board launched its new campaign Your Friend in Wellness," said Global Market Development, North America Manager Becky Jeffers. This continued to build excitement and awareness for almonds by tying Al the almond to this cultural moment in time. U.S. consumers could see the 15- and 30-second versions of the ad on Hulu, Comedy Central, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. U.S. U.K. Mexico 5

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