John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc., the Elgin, Ill.-based parent company of the Fisher Nuts brand, won a Gold REGGIE Award in the packaging innovation campaign category at the Brand Activation Association (BAA) Awards ceremony on March 27 in Chicago.

The company received the award for “Fisher Fresh Twist to Recipe Nuts,” a fully integrated campaign featuring partnerships with Food Network and Chopped star, chef Alex Guarnaschelli. The work was recognized in the newly created packaging innovation campaign category, which spotlights brands that either redesigned or launched new products with innovative packaging creative, usability design or supplemented main packaging with additional materials.

“We’re thrilled to receive this prestigious award and recognition for the integrated marketing campaign that brought our innovative freshness-seal, stand-up bag to the market,” says Howard Brandeisky, senior vice president, global marketing & customer solutions. “Our 360-degree marketing campaign not only highlighted our unique packaging benefits, but also leveraged our partnerships with chef Alex Guarneschelli and Food Network to show both consumers and retailers how our packaging makes cooking and baking with nuts a more enjoyable experience.”

Developed by Blue Chip Marketing Worldwide, “Fisher Fresh Twist to Recipe Nuts” campaign featured in-store, broadcast, print, digital and public relations elements. The campaign ultimately helped Fisher achieve a significant increase in sales and distribution over a 24-month period, according to John B. Sanfilippo & Son.

The REGGIE awards recognize the most innovative and effective brand activation campaigns across a variety of marketing categories. Originally named REGGIE to symbolize excellence in “making the cash register ring,” the awards program has grown to 23 categories to stay at the leading edge of trends and advancements in the marketing industry. Judges evaluated campaigns on how brands considered their target audience, how they creatively and effectively communicated their brand message and enhanced their overall experience with their product via packaging.