According to their press release:
Wonderful Pistachios has teamed up with streamer Brennon “GoldGlove” O’Neill as part of an expansion into the gaming and esports categories that began earlier this year.
The Wonderful Company’s packaged goods brand is supporting GoldGlove’s livestreams, which begin today (September 17) with a Twitch session of NBA 2K. In October, the deal will expand to include two more livestreams, offering viewers more opportunities to redeem unique promotional deals on No Shells BBQ and No Shells Sea Salt & Vinegar varieties.
During a surge in video game streaming, Wonderful Pistachios is hoping to tap into GoldGlove’s following 1.4 million Twitch followers and 1.2 million YouTube subscribers. According to a Newzoo research referenced by the brand, more than 80% of esports enthusiasts eat or drink while watching others play.
Insights:
Wonderful Pistachios is forging a closer relationship with a well-known video game producer in order to promote healthier snack options in a potentially neglected market. According to Newzoo data, over half of North American gamers eat salty food while playing, while 48% drink soda. Because influencers and content producers have a high degree of trust with their audiences, marketers have the opportunity to engage millions of GoldGlove followers who would otherwise be difficult to reach through traditional ad-supported media.
Wonderful Pistachios is making more direct digs at packaged food competitors in addition to the GoldGlove collaboration. Over a blood-red “Chiptality” lettering and accompanying audio, a new commercial portrays a guy ramping up and then brutally tearing apart a bag of potato chips. The notion is an obvious nod to the extremely violent “Fatality” death techniques from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series, which has its own Wikipedia page dedicated to controversy.
Wonderful Pistachios is using the campaign to aim to expand its client base after reaching $1 billion in retail sales in 2020. The Wonderful Company brand rolled out a $1 million execution centered on its No Shells line in May, putting gaming in the forefront this year. YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Snapchat, and other social media platforms are all part of the endeavor.
Snacks are a prominent advertiser category in gaming, but the industry is diversifying as it rises in popularity. According to MRI Simmons statistics published by Wonderful Pistachios, 47 million individuals in the United States profess to be esports enthusiasts, and the business is beginning to escape its male-dominated reputation. Last year, E.l.f. Cosmetics began collaborating with Twitch producers to address what it sees as a gender imbalance in the gaming industry. In May, the cosmetics company sponsored “TikTok Gamers Got Talent,” a TikTok multimedia series.
