New ALMOND JOY MOUNDS Campaign Helps Consumers Avoid Vacation “FOMO”
The indescribably delicious taste of sweet coconut covered in chocolate is different than most other candies out there. In 1919, it was given a name: Mounds bars. Sixty-nine years later, Almond Joy and Mounds became a part of the Hershey family. Over the years, the brand has excited taste buds and brought a sense of paradise to fans. Now, after taking its own vacation from the TV spotlight for a few years, Almond Joy and Mounds are back to remind fans to take a moment to disconnect and mentally escape to the tropics.
Research
As our teams’ creative wheels began to spin, we wanted to know what fans of this coconut and chocolate combination were missing out on. How can Almond Joy and Mounds make fans’ lives a little bit sweeter? Here is what we uncovered.
- In 2017, 96 percent of Americans said that using their paid time off is important to them, yet 54 percent of Americans left vacation time on the table1.
- Fear of returning to a mountain of work remains the top challenge to taking time off (43 percent)1.
From these insights, it was clear. American workers need a vacation, and even more so a relaxing pause from the stresses that come with, well, life. Since coconuts are synonymous with tropical escapes, it made perfect sense for us to answer the call. The call of, how do you put it…the call of the COCONUT!
Now that we knew what our fans needed most, it was time to help them take their own small escape from life’s pressures.
ALMOND JOY is Tropi-Calling
We called the new concept ‘Tropi-calling’. The idea that a well-deserved vacation is waiting and when you need a taste of vacation, simply pick-up. In our new campaign, a coconut calls an employee at his cubicle and gives him a pause from the day with a delicious Almond Joy bar.
Almond Joy and Mounds’ new campaign encourages you to switch to island time and mentally escape from the day, starting with the bite of a delicious coconut and chocolate candy bar. Mentally un-plugging is key to truly enjoying a getaway, and we want to give that escape to our fans, even if it is just for a few minutes during a busy day.
The new brand position, which before now hasn’t been changed since 2010, will bring the renewed “gotta get away” spirit of vacation to life through quirky TV ads, premiering February 26, online video, and social content.
The natural tie between coconuts and tropical dream destinations make this the perfect fit for Almond Joy and Mounds’ next phase. The ‘Tropi-call’ is designed to inspire consumers to use their time off and not worry about what’s back at the office, while making everyone’s day a bit sweeter.
The long-awaited call from the tropics is just the beginning of Almond Joy and Mounds’ new campaign, with more calls from the coconut to come throughout the year. As we continue our journey through the tropics, we’re keeping a few things top of mind:
- Tap into a national topic. There’s a lot of discussion in the media and on social channels about the American workforce and the buildup of unused vacation time. Almond Joy and Mounds is here to remind fans to take those much-needed pauses.
- Make it an experience. We will submerge fans’ taste, sight and smell to a more relaxing place giving them the mental escape they need.
- Keep it short, and most of all, sweet. Bringing some extra joy to our fans’ everyday lives doesn’t always need an elaborate plan. Delicious brands such as Almond Joy and Mounds speak for themselves, sometimes all you need is a simple call to action driving consumers to the product.
So, what are you waiting for? The tropics are calling…
(1) The State of American Vacation 2017
