Recent survey findings about brand recognition of some up-and-coming food brands was music to the ears of the senior leadership of the Wonderful Company, which is based in Los Angeles.

Three of the firm’s produce industry brands — Wonderful pistachios, Wonderful Halos mandarins and POM Wonderful juice and fresh pomegranates — ranked very high in the newly released 2016 Nielsen Harris Poll EquiTrend Study.

Adam Cooper, vice president of marketing and insights for the company, explained that the survey examined the shopping habits of millennials, Generation Xers and baby boomers, and the Wonderful Company was the only firm with top 10 finishes in each category and recognized by consumers as “on the way.”

About 100,000 consumers took part in the survey evaluating the brand health of more than 2,500 brands covering key metrics, including overall equity and momentum.

“We are thrilled that this study confirms what our strong sales have consistently shown — that Wonderful Company products are highly desired and valued by consumers across all generations,” Cooper said. “Having multiple brands within our family find appeal across the generational gap is proof of the increasing importance of healthy, real food in the American diet. Our products clearly resonate well with consumers of all ages.”

In further analyzing the results, Cooper said the Wonderful Company is capitalizing on the unmistakable trend that sees snacking as an increasingly important element of the American diet. He noted that 50 percent of all eating occasions are now identified as a snack, and each of these Wonderful-branded products fits into that category.  

Specifically, these three Wonderful brands were called out as up-and-comers multiple times in the survey: Wonderful pistachios by millennials and baby boomers; Wonderful Halos mandarins by Generation Xers and baby boomers; and POM Wonderful juice and POM Wonderful fresh pomegranates by baby boomers.

According to Nielsen, brand momentum is a good indicator of future equity growth and closely related to positive sales trends. Of the brands on the EquiTrend top 10 list, the vast majority have experienced sales gains in the past year, with over half posting double-digit growth.

Cooper believes that the excellent products of the firm have combined with its aggressive marketing and advertising campaign to achieve these results.

He said the Wonderful Company has spent more than $100 million promoting these brands in recent years. While that number pales in comparison to what the huge multi-national food companies spend, it is quite significant in its own right, and puts it at the top end of the scale for produce-centric firms.

Cooper said the advertising campaigns, which tend to be a bit off-beat, clearly grab the attention of consumers of all ages. The company also utilizes in-store point-of-sale material, coupons, attractive display bins and trade promotions to both pull and push the products through the system. More than 200 people are involved in sales and in-store merchandising for the brands. The Wonderful Company utilizes television advertising as well as print media and billboards to deliver its message. Cooper quipped that the focus is on “inside the box.”

Cooper said there is some merchandising synergy among the brands and the company does encourage multiple product merchandising under the Wonderful label. But each brand and product also stands on its own with its own specific story to tell.  

He said Wonderful Halos are the No. 1 mandarin brand, having a market share that is more than 50 percent larger than its closest competitor. Cooper said the category is “on fire” with tremendous sales gains in recent years. Mandarins have become the most popular citrus item and have become a billion dollar category. The California-grown item is typically shipped from November through May. As this interview was being conducted in mid-June, the end of the 2015-16 crop was hitting the marketplace.

Wonderful pistachios enjoy an even greater retail dominance with a 60-70 percent market share. Pistachios have become the ultimate snack and have benefited greatly by the display bins that the Wonderful Company offers to its customers. The bins make it easy to display and promote the nuts throughout the produce department and the store.  The nuts are typically harvested in the August-September time frame.  The company also grows, packs and sells Wonderful almonds.  

POM Wonderful juices and fresh pomegranates actually predate the rebranding and renaming of the company under the Wonderful moniker. Wonderful is the name of the world’s most popular pomegranate variety. That is what gave birth to the POM Wonderful name and ultimately led to the firm renaming itself and its brand just over a year ago.

Cooper said it has been “an exciting first year” with great sales gains and very impressive growth in brand identity as the Nielsen Harris survey revealed. He reiterated that the company does look forward to continue to push its brands and cross-promote when the opportunity arises. Besides these produce brands, the Wonderful Company is also involved in other consumer products, including Fiji bottled water, Justin wines and Teleflora bouquets.

The company also has a longstanding commitment to corporate social responsibility, including more than $100 million invested in environmental technologies and sustainability research; nearly $50 million in charitable giving and education initiatives in 2015 alone; $30 million toward the construction of a new charter school campus in California’s Central Valley; and innovative health and wellness programs.