Kind, the healthy snacks brand, is pursuing a more aggressive activation strategy in the Canadian marketplace.
Among the brand’s activation efforts is its “Kindness Market,” held this past weekend in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood. The pop-up gave approximately 2,500 Torontonians the chance to sample some of the brand’s products while also giving back to the community via the Parkdale Community Food Bank.
“We are still a relatively new brand in the Canadian marketplace, compared to our competitors,” says Chris Dimmell, head of Kind Canada. “We recently decided to increase our efforts here because our findings show that Canadians are looking for better snacking products and options. Sales have shown that when consumers try our products, they are more likely than not to buy them.”
The market also hosted several small and diverse businesses selling handmade, artisanal and vintage goods.
The effort was aligned with World Kindness Month, an important time for the brand to demonstrate its values, says Dimmell.
“At the heart of it, Kind Snacks is all about inspiring and celebrating small acts of kindness,” he says, pointing to a donation the company itself made to the food bank. At the pop-up, the food bank was able to garner nearly $1,500 in donations and collect seven large boxes of non-perishable goods.
“Our goal is to create moments that will make the world a little kinder,” Dimmell adds.
As the brand expands its efforts in Canada, it is targeting Millennials and Gen Z. Experiential activations such as the pop-up “complement and amplify” the brand’s efforts because it enables Kind to “connect directly with our consumers and create deeper, in-person experiences for them to see our values and taste Kind products.”
“Young Canadians especially love to visit local markets on the weekends, and we wanted to meet our consumers where they are most engaged,” says Dimmell. “We hope it helps us stand above our competitors in the market and build loyalty with a younger audience.”
Devon Communications handled PR.
