Almonds x Thrifters

My Role
Strategist

Teammates
Sofia Bernitt & Marvin Valenzuela (strategists)

THE ASK

Choose a subculture. Study it. Write a brief connecting them to a later revealed snack brand: Blue Diamond Almonds.

THE PROBLEM

If almonds were a person, they would most likely not be a thrifter. Thrifters express themselves through taste; almonds are often reduced to plain and predictable.

THE SOLUTION

Enlist Campus Thrifters — the experts at finding potential where others don’t — to reject misconceptions and celebrate almonds’ hidden flavorful potential.

THE CLIENT & GOAL

Thrifting is full of personality. Almonds aren’t known for it.

Blue Diamond is a long-standing nut and almond brand offering a wide range of products, from classic to flavored varieties. With legacy roots and shelf presence in the category, Blue Diamond has reach. However, it lacks cultural relevance and a voice that resonates with Thrifters’ taste-first mindset.

Their goal: Increase sales of Blue Diamond Flavor Forward Almonds by 50% among college-age Thrifters.

BLUE DIAMOND’S TARGET

Campus Thrifters.

College students ages 18-24 who study in cities with numerous thrift stores within their perimeter. They crave outlets for creativity, individuality, and authentic self-expression. Picking out their outfit takes center stage in their morning routine, and their camera roll is cluttered with mirror pics showing off their style. While they lead busy college lives, they do their best to carve out a few hours each week to hit up their favorite thrift spots and check out the fresh inventory. Styling an outfit that encapsulates their Pinterest board is one of their main goals; they’ll spend months gathering inspo and hours digging through racks to create it.

MORE ON THRIFTERS

We dove real deep into the world of thrifting. We spoke with college-aged thrifters, analyzed endless memes, and dove deep into Reddit & socials. Our research surfaced 4 main pillars:

1) THE THRILL OF THE HUNT

Thrifting takes real effort: focus, patience, scanning every aisle, and putting in the energy to find “treasures” that feel right. This effort is not a downside; it is what makes thrifted finds feel valuable and special.

2) TASTE AS A BADGE OF HONOR

Thrifters pride themselves on seeing potential in what others overlook. “Taste” is treated like a trained skill. Spotting an item’s value, imagining how it fits their style, and recognizing quality becomes a badge of honor.

3) AN IDENTITY ARCHIVE

Thrifters speak to “finds” not “items.” The pieces they find become a living archive of their choices, their perspective, and their creativity. Thrifting becomes a reflection of how they see and move through the world.

4) A SHARED LANGUAGE

Thrifting becomes a shared language of taste and creativity. From thrift hauls to “thrift with me” videos, Pinterest boards, and sharing with friends, thrifters stay connected through shared discovery and inspiration.

THE CONSUMER PROBLEM

Thrifters move through a world where everything can feel repetitive, so they search hard for pieces with real personality. They know that finding something with real taste takes effort, whether it’s on a clothing rack or in the snack aisle.

THE INSIGHT

Campus Thrifters take pride in noticing the value in the overlooked; that ability to see what others didn’t is the real badge of honor.

THE STRATEGY

Every day has flavor if you know where to look.

Speak to thrifters the way they see themselves: as people with a trained eye for the unique, the expressive, and the unexpectedly good.

The goal is for them to think “Blue Diamond Almonds are as unique as my fashion taste,” and try one of Blue Diamond’s flavored almond products.

THE MEDIA

- To partner with popular Thrifter creators, prompting them to share their favorite Blue Diamond flavor and style a thrifted outfit that represents it, showing off their creativity.
- To place branded, resonant messaging on platforms where thrifters go for fashion inspiration.
- To share owned content featuring Thrifters and highlighting their creative skills, aligning the Blue Diamond brand with creativity and boldness.
College Campuses:
- To bolster our brand presence in the home environment and daily routine of our target audience, commanding attention and making Blue Diamonds a memorable name among a category of forgettable brands.
Transit Stations
- To make a connection with thrifters before and after making their way to one of Cambridge’s many thrift stores and curated vintage thrifting shops, catching them when thrifting is most relevant.
Thrift Stores
- To remind thrifters about Blue Diamond’s bold, creative flavors and make the connection between flavor and style innovation when thrifting is top of mind.
To create an in-person experience that honors what Thrifters love so much about the activity (finding potential in the seemingly boring things).
- Many thrifters find it difficult to meet new people who share their interest, outside of their preexisting friends. Hosting a clothing swap on a college campus would connect local thrifters and make for a memorable event, inviting them to create their own pick-n-mix bag of “Hidden Treasure” that accurately reflects their unique taste and appeals to their thrill of the hunt.