This week's Fun Friday starts off with a "Snacksercise Craze" the American Pecan Promotion Board (APPB) is debuting in a new retro-inspired campaign.

What happens when you combine '80s workout videos, healthy snacking and a dash of modern irony? The American Pecan Promotion Board (APPB), in collaboration with its marketing agency Signal Theory, created their latest campaign, "Snacksercise," which delivers a fresh take on New Year's wellness messaging by deliberately stepping away from the polished perfection of today's fitness content, APPB says.

The campaign features a spandex-clad instructor demonstrating pecan-themed workouts like "The Top Shelf Reach" and "Pecan Crunches," all presented in VHS-style footage that would make Richard Simmons and Suzanne Somers proud.

The spot will be available on premium CTV/OTT networks and streaming platforms, and apps such as ABC, Hulu, Food Network, and YouTube TV. The campaign also includes strategies for e-commerce, in-store activations, influencer marketing, social media promotion, digital marketing, and gym TV placements.

Tostitos looks for ultimate fan to launch Super Bowl confetti in New Orleans

The countdown is on to snacking’s biggest day of the year—the Super Bowl—and Tostitos is giving consumers a taste of the celebration, including the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to Super Bowl LIX, along with the honor of pressing the official NFL confetti button.

To start the party, fans must first stop the clock. Tostitos is teaming up with Reggie Bush to issue a nationwide challenge for fans to stop a countdown clock at exactly 5.90 seconds—a nod to 59 years of the Super Bowl—in order to unlock the sweepstakes page to officially enter. The ultimate winner will use their button-pressing skills to trigger the epic moment of show-stopping, joy-filled celebration for the winning team and fans.

Consumers can test their reaction time for the chance to enter the sweepstakes by visiting TasteOfSuperBowl.com or scanning the QR code on the back of specially marked Frito-Lay snacks (Tostitos, Cheetos, Doritos, and Lay’s) to stop the clock virtually. Stopping the clock at exactly 5.90 seconds unlocks the sweepstakes page to officially enter.

Fans can also try to stop the clock IRL. At select grocery stores, interactive pop-ups featuring countdown clock buttons will let fans try their hand at competitive button pushing now until January 27. 

Old World Christmas announces new partnerships for 2025

Old World Christmas, purveyor of Christmas ornaments, has announced multiple new licensing partnerships for the creation of hand-blown glass ornaments. Big League Chew, The Lumistella Company, Mondelēz, Penguin Young Readers, Pink Floyd, Richard Scarry’s Busy World, The Beach Boys, and The Who will each have a line of delicately hand-painted, hand-glittered ornaments created to capture the spirit of the brands to be released later this year. 

Mondelēz will include a line of six ornaments featuring Oreo, Chips Ahoy!, Sour Patch Kids, and Swedish Fish. Big League Chew is the classic bubble gum loved by everyone from little leaguers to major league players. Relive those sporting years on the tree this year.

Once released, all newly licensed ornaments will be available at oldworldchristmas.com or in retail stores across the U.S.

Report confirms Aldi offers lowest prices of any national grocery store, saving shoppers $8.3B per year

Aldi has released its first-ever Price Leadership Report, proving the savings it delivers for shoppers nationwide. The report confirms Aldi offers the lowest prices of any national grocery store and saves shoppers $8.3 billion per year, making it clear why 25% of U.S. households now shop Aldi. 

The report confirms shoppers have increasingly turned to Aldi to fill their carts as years of inflation have continued pressuring consumers’ wallets. An analysis conducted by Ernst & Young Quantitative Economics and Statistics Group (QUEST) also revealed that the rapid ALDI U.S. expansion, which added 120 stores in 2024 alone, created thousands of new jobs and fueled local economies. Other highlights include: 

• Aldi saves shoppers up to 36% on an average shopping trip. A competitive pricing analysis revealed that no matter what people typically shop for at other grocers, they’ll save big by switching to Aldi. In fact, families of four can save nearly $4,000 on their grocery bills every year if they shop Aldi-exclusives over name brands. 
• When it comes to value, shoppers rank Aldi as #1. According to a survey of U.S. shoppers, Aldi was the grocer most associated with the best value, low everyday prices, and quality products. Shoppers said Aldi selection outranked the competition 2:1, and 76% of shoppers said its brands are just as good as more expensive name brands. 
• The impact of Aldi goes beyond its aisles. Aldi engaged Ernst & Young QUEST to prepare an economic impact analysis of the grocer’s U.S. business and its downstream economic impact over the past eight years. The analysis found that, in 2023, Aldi operations contributed an estimated $14 billion to the U.S. economy and supported over 90,000 jobs (directly and indirectly). With the grocer’s plans to add 800 new stores in the next five years, Aldi will make an even bigger impact on local communities as it continues to expand.  

2025 food trends and almonds  

With 2025 in full swing, consumers are focused on foods that improve their health without compromising flavor and innovation possibilities, says the Almond Board of California. With over 14 different forms, almonds can give product developers the confidence they need to tackle wellness, flavor, and innovation trends in 2025 and beyond. Read below to find out what the Almond Board of California, using insights from Innova Market Insights and Tastewise, predicts for almonds in 2025.

1. Trend 1: Optimize your health, one bite at a time
1. Almonds, due to their well-rounded nutrient composition, will support precision wellness and 2025’s top health needs such as gut health and weight management. Weight management is the fastest growing claim on launches with almond protein: +73% CAGR, and prebiotic claims saw +46% CAGR on launches with almond protein, almond flour, and almond meal.  
2. Trend 2: Savoring the spectrum of flavor 
1. According to Tastewise, some of the fastest-growing cuisines are fusion foods! With a subtle nutty flavor that can be amplified or subdued, almonds are a blank canvas for sweet and savory flavor innovation. Intense (+62%), complex (+61%) and rich (+58%) are the fastest-growing flavor profiles for almonds. 
3. Trend 3: Elevating tradition through innovation/redefining culinary boundaries through flavor 
1. Best of Both Worlds: Consumer preferences for new products vary widely, with a strong preference for old/traditional flavors (64%) alongside a significant interest in the “wow” effect from crazy and indulgent creations (43%). Finding a new way to merge these desires will pave the way for inventive product mash-ups. The fastest-growing almond ingredients between 2019-2024 were almond protein powder and almond paste.