USA Volleyball has signed Blue Diamond Growers’ Almond Breeze beverage as its official almond milk through the Rio Games.
The one-year deal is the brand’s first marketing tie with an Olympic sports governing body. Terms were not disclosed, but Almond Breeze joins at USA Volleyball’s highest sponsorship tier, Secretary General Kerry Klostermann said. Other sponsors at that level include Mizuno, Hilton and Liberty Mutual Insurance.
“We feel we have a very visible and well-respected brand, and we believe Blue Diamond Almond Breeze does, too,” Klostermann said.
Almond Breeze plans to distribute samples to volleyball training facilities, and activate at coming national championship events and via retail promotions. It’s also planning social media, online and paid advertising around the nutritional benefits of the milk, said Suzanne Hagener, group marketing manager at Blue Diamond Growers, collectively owned by half of California’s almond growers.
Hagener said the brand targeted volleyball because of its widespread appeal as a recreational pastime in addition to Olympics hype. “It’s a great sport that people can relate to, not only parents and adults, but kids,” she said.
Last year, Almond Breeze endorsed three-time beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, and Hagener said further athlete deals in the sport could be in the cards. Blue Diamond’s snack nuts division is also an Olympic marketer via its sponsorship of USA Swimming.
Volleyball is hoping for a bigger Olympics bump in interest than usual this year because of its popularity in Brazil. The midnight gold-medal beach volleyball matches are already among the hottest tickets at the Games.
Steve Upson of Boston-based Vertica Group introduced the partners and helped negotiate terms.
