ALOHA explores ‘simple way’ to introduce consumers to brand in new ad campaign
The campaign, which launched Aug. 12, aims to establish ALOHA as a household name and reach a broader audience by showcasing universally satisfying moments, Shapiro said.
The ASMR-forward (short for autonomous sensory meridian response) commercial features several scenes that captured the satisfaction of opening a fresh can of tennis balls, walking across bubble wrap and peeling the protective film off a new phone, and eating an ALOHA bar.
Using insights from a survey the brand conducted last year, which found that snack bar consumers “do not believe that food can be both nutritious and delicious at the same time,” the commercial highlights flavor, nutrition and texture, Shapiro explained.
“Once you actually start exploring what these products are made of and what they are about, it starts to dimensionalize it and work on ... different levels,” she said.
ALOHA’s ads will stream on platforms like Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video and YouTube.
When is the right time to launch an ad campaign?
ALOHA’s advertising strategy was based on its distribution footprint and making “sure that the food is available to people, because you do not want to go out there and tell somebody about your product and then not find it,” Shapiro said.
The company is in a “nice balance between ecommerce business and offline retail,” where 60% of its business is in ecommerce, which allows for consumers to access its products “no matter what,” Shapiro said.
Placing the commercial in strategic slots not only will reach broader audiences but streamline the path to purchase more seamlessly and introduce new flavors more quickly, she added.
“We continue to iterate and to put out new flavors, but it is in a place where we should be sharing it with a broader audience, and that is how we kind of knew that the time was right,” Shapiro said.
‘Little creative decisions go into building this bigger brand’
The commercial’s color palette featured vibrant earth tones — an intentional move from the brand — highlighting ALOHA’s bright packaging, Shapiro said.
“All of these little creative decisions go into building this bigger brand. ALOHA has been around for a while and the color has always been a huge part of the way that the brands showed up,” she said.
While other brands lean towards neutral colors “to play up the natural … or health side of things,” ALOHA intended for consumers to associate its packaging with “positive, bright optimism,” Shapiro added.
In the commercial, the saturated shades of red, orange and green leads viewers to “feel completely immersed into the world of ALOHA,” she said.
ALOHA’s Inc. ranking: ‘We are on to something’
The company 1,028 out of 5,000 in Inc.’s list of the fastest growing private companies in America this month, according to Inc. The recognition reflects the company’s “banner year,” Shapiro said.
According to ALOHA, the company grew into a $100 million plus, employee-owned brand since CEO Brad Charron’s appointment, in addition to this year’s progress of securing a $68 million investment from SEMCAP Food & Nutrition, a Whole Foods Market Supplier All-Star Award and Charron’s recognition as a Regional Finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
“Seeing this type of national recognition is proof that we are on to something … and there is something there which is validating, especially when you are in a really crowded category,” Shapiro said.
