The folks at Stockton-based Diamond of California have a keen interest in tonight's football game at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco.
As title sponsor of the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl, they hope more than 26,000 fans at the stadium and millions more watching on television will associate athletics and good health with the walnuts produced by the co-op's more than 1,900 grower-members from Chico to Bakersfield.
Sandy McBride, Diamond's vice president of marketing, wouldn't disclose what the co-op paid for its four-year sponsorship of the bowl. Published reports put the fee at a relatively inexpensive $2.8 million, or about $700,000 a year. Some of the biggest bowl sponsorships go for up to $10 million a year.
McBride said the sponsorship, now in its second year, plays into Diamond's new marketing direction, which emphasizes walnuts' health benefits. Research has shown that walnuts are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown effective in fighting cholesterol and heart problems.
"Traditionally our products have been used in baking, but people aren't doing that as much anymore. The baking aisles in grocery stores aren't quite as busy," McBride said. "We're looking for opportunities to associate ourselves with a contemporary, athletic lifestyle."
Dr. Steven Pratt, author of Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life claims that walnuts are among the fourteen superfoods that will not only improve your life - they may well extend it.
Just a handful a day meets the requirement of Omega-3s the body needs.
fresh content posted
