If you did a Google News search this week on "jelly bean," you would have found, right at the top of the results, stories about singer Kina Grannis and her newest single, "In Your Arms." When I watched her video (take a look), I saw one of the most clever product placements ever - 288,000 Jelly Belly jelly beans used to create intricate mosaics that served as Graniss' props and backdrop.
What's even more amazing than the music video itself is the YouTube video about how it was made, detailing the year's worth of painstaking effort that brought forth "In Your Arms." In the opening of the "making of" video, the stacks of bins clearly marked with Jelly Belly flavors like green apple, kiwi and peach reinforce the candy's unique offerings. At other times, the brand's logo is clearly visible.
On its Web site, Jelly Belly actively promotes Graniss, driving visitors to its Facebook page, which features the video and an exclusive interview. The catch: you can only see them if you "like" the page first. This is a classic "call-to-action" if I've ever seen one.
Jelly Belly art isn't new but it's certainly unique. After all, have you ever seen a portrait of Mona Lisa made with Butterfinger or a rendering of Princess Diana in Hershey's Kisses? Probably not, but you can see both of these subjects and so many more at Jelly Belly Bean Art Collection. There's even a "Bean Art Maker" on the company Web site, where you can upload a photo to see how it looks in Jelly Belly. You can also submit your photograph to the company or share it with friends on Facebook or Twitter.
Sure, there are other artists who work in foods like potato chips, hamburger buns or pretzels, but this unusual variety of art gives people a chance to create something memorable while interacting with a brand-name product that's as different as the art created. With 90 different flavors and as many colors and shades, using Jelly Belly as a palette makes sense if your medium has to be candy.
And if music videos or candy art don't appeal to you, Jelly Belly has a stable of athletes competing under its banner in sports as varied as rodeo, cycling, minor league baseball and golf. And because "candy isn't the only thing you'll find with the Jelly Belly name on it," each sport is now branded with the unmistakable Jelly Belly logo as well as with the superlative tagline "if our name is on it, you know that it's top of the line."
Jelly Belly's adherence to "brand identity ideals" is hard to miss, whether with the product itself (jelly beans) or the marketing initiatives that support and promote it, Jelly Belly works hard to ensure the recognizability, consistency and enduring nature of its brand.
I like how they sell groupings of particular flavors such as sour candy, ice cream soda, and even one that's called antioxidants (with cranberry, blueberry and pomegranate.
ReplyDeleteWell written blog on a company that I had no idea has been in business for such a long time.
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated by the art masterpieces that have been created as well as the Grannis video.
Interesting use of social media to promote a product, by only allowing "fans" to view it.
Who would ever have thought you could do so much with jelly beans? You've done a good job of addressing the blog prompts through the company's creativity.
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