LOS ANGELES (September 7, 2017) – This weekend Wonderful Pistachios, America’s fastest-growing snack brand, kicks off its biggest football campaign ever with Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews. The pro-football players will appear in humorous new commercials that will air nationally during this Sunday’s game, when the conference rivals battle it out for gridiron supremacy during one of the season’s most highly anticipated matchups. The “Put a Smile on Your Snackface” ads score with the message that Wonderful Pistachios are the rare healthy snack that also tastes great.

Sherman and Matthews star in separate commercials featuring pistachio lovers who may be unlucky in life, but fortunate to discover the perfect gameday snack to put a smile on their snackfaces. They quickly discover that when you feel good about eating tasty, protein-powered Wonderful Pistachios, you can also feel good about yourself.

“Wonderful Pistachios consistently put a smile on my snackface because they’re a healthy snack, and a good source of protein and fiber,” said Sherman, who returns to the Wonderful Pistachios roster for a second consecutive year after appearing in last season’s football and Get Crackin’ ads. “No matter which team you’re rooting for, everyone can agree Wonderful Pistachios taste great, are healthy, and just plain fun to crack open.”

Sherman’s on-field opponent during the Sept. 10 game, when the commercials debut, is Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, the newest member of the Wonderful Pistachios team. “Football fans can enjoy healthy snacks at their gameday gatherings with Wonderful Pistachios, because it’s one of the lowest-fat, lowest-calorie snack nuts, so you don’t feel guilty snacking on them all game long,” said Matthews. “I make Wonderful Pistachios part of my daily training routine because they’re one of the highest-protein and highest-fiber snack nuts.”

The “Put a Smile on Your Snackface” campaign was created by Wonderful Pistachios’s in-house creative team, Wonderful Agency, led by chief creative officer Darren Moran, who recently joined the LA-based shop from Grey New York. “Wonderful Pistachios has a history of funny, offbeat, celebrity-driven work that both reflects and drives pop culture," said Moran. “We’re continuing that tradition in this irreverent new campaign, using two of football’s biggest stars to help a collection of ‘lovable losers’ feel good about themselves. Even if they’ve been twice-orphaned, ogled by Santa or betrayed by a suspicious mole.”

Wonderful Pistachios’s biggest football campaign ever will air on primetime football games and premium online sports sites all season long. It will also include in-store POS including life-size standees of Sherman and Matthews, a large-scale digital and social media campaign, as well as public relations. The football investment is part of a larger $55 million campaign that also includes the brand’s popular Ernie the Elephant, a pistachio-loving, health-conscious, computer-generated spokes-elephant who refuses to work for peanuts and is voiced by WWE Superstar John Cena, and the Wonderful Nut health campaign that appears in New York’s Times Square, print and in-store. 

“Our crop is shaping up nicely this season, so we’re doubling down on sports and our commitment to healthy snacking, which helped Wonderful Pistachios become the fastest-growing snack brand in the country,” said Adam Cooper, vice president, Wonderful Pistachios. “Partnering with football’s biggest stars helps us score with sports fans who crave a guilt-free indulgence that’s big on nutrition. The football campaign, combined with our successful Ernie the Elephant Get Crackin’ ads and our Wonderful Nut health ads, will reach ‘snackthusiasts’ with the perfect healthy snack they can feel good about whether they’re watching a game, preparing for or recovering from a workout, or just looking for a fun snack.”

For more information on Wonderful Pistachios, the “Put a Smile on Your Snackface” campaign, or to view current and past commercial spots, please visit GetCrackin.com or at Facebook.com/WonderfulPistachios.

Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds

Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds is the world’s largest vertically integrated pistachio and almond grower and processor. Located in California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds owns, cultivates and harvests more than 65,000 acres of pistachio and almond orchards and delivers more than 450 million pounds of nuts globally each year. Our world-class operation supplies both industrial and retail customers, offering high-quality, consistent supply and adherence to rigorous food safety standards. Our nuts can be found in stores nationwide under the flagship retail brands of Wonderful Pistachios® and Wonderful Almonds®. Our iconic Get Crackin’ campaign has inspired consumers to make healthy choices.

Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds is part of The Wonderful Company, a successful, fast-growing privately held $4 billion company with 8,500 employees worldwide. We’ve made Wonderful Pistachios® one of America’s top-selling salty snacks. We’ve turned pomegranates and POM Wonderful® into a worldwide phenomenon. Wonderful Halos® is the No. 1 mandarin orange in America. FIJI® Water is the No. 1 premium bottled water in America. JUSTIN® Wine produces California’s top-selling, high-end Cabernet Sauvignon. And Teleflora® is the world’s largest flower delivery service.

The Wonderful Company has a long-standing commitment to corporate social responsibility, including more than $200 million invested in environmental technologies and sustainability research, $45 million in charitable giving and education initiatives every year, $80 million toward the construction of a new charter school campus in California’s Central Valley, and innovative health and wellness programs, including two new, free primary care clinics for employees and their dependents. To learn more about The Wonderful Company, its products and core values, visit www.wonderful.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

© 2017 Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds LLC. All Rights Reserved. WONDERFUL, GET CRACKIN’, PUT A SMILE ON YOUR SNACKFACE, ERNIE THE ELEPHANT, the Package Design and accompanying logos are trademarks of Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds LLC or its affiliates.