Orchard Valley Harvest's Cheeky Mascot Does Anything to Try its Nuts

Snacking brand Orchard Valley Harvest (OVH) is launching its first integrated brand campaign starring a hilarious and slightly provocative new spokesperson in an effort to woo younger snackers back to the nut category. 

The campaign seeks to introduce the brand to millennial and gen z consumers, who are in search of healthy snacking options, but tend to find nuts boring. Created by independent advertising agency Terri & Sandy, the centrepiece of the campaign includes national TV spots as well as digital and social executions. The three new ads, which start airing nationwide today, feature 'Ovie,' a two-dimensional, animated version of the brand’s new logo, who is obsessed with nuts but lacks a mouth to taste them - and isn’t afraid to throw in a few jokes. Ovie is seen jumping from the packaging and urging folks to eat the delectable snacks he longs to taste, with one-liners like, “I’d give my left nut to taste my right nut.” 

The new ads complement a total brand refresh, courtesy of branding agency Straight Forward Design, that included a new logo (Ovie), brand identity, packaging and product reformulation and innovation, with an eye toward standing out to a younger consumer among a crowded snack category. Research finds that current category consumer demographics skew older and female and consumers aged 18-34 are significantly more likely to find nuts boring. With nuts, seeds and trial mix being a $7 billion dollar category, there is a significant opportunity for Orchard Valley Harvest to become more approachable and appetizing for younger buyers. 

“We seized the opportunity to create something memorable and unexpected for Orchard Valley Harvest,” said John Goetter, vice president of marketing at John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., parent company to Orchard Valley Harvest. “When the team at Terri & Sandy pitched us the idea of ‘Ovie’s,’ eternal and hilarious struggle of loving OVH products but not being able to eat them, we knew we had something. It is exactly the kind of humour and tone this category needs to get younger generations to take a second look at the snack nut category.” 

The new brand positioning includes the commitment Orchard Valley Harvest has made to donate 1% of all OVH sales toward tackling child hunger in America. The brand is proud to partner with Conscious Alliance and other non-profits to support and feed America's communities by sorting, packing and moving truckloads of healthy food - like OVH snacks - to those in need.