The Almond Board of California began the implementation of the Global Strategic Almond Marketing Framework in 2008. The initiative is a result of the industry’s research-based outreach in the areas of target audience understanding, nutrition science, and technical knowledge.

The program focuses on three areas of potential growth:

• The geographies with the highest potential for demand growth (North America and the European Union, India, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan
• Three principal categories of almond usage representing three-quarters of new almond product introductions in consumer packaged goods (confectionary, bakery/patisserie, and snacking) 
• Health issues that are common to the priority geographies (dietary guidelines, nutrition-based legislation, and lifestyle diseases)

Reputation Management—the process of defining and managing the industry’s image as perceived through the eyes of the stakeholders—serves as the cornerstone of the initiative.

The program delivers a constant stream of communication that educates and informs consumers, manufacturers, foodservice operators, and health professionals about the nutritional benefits and versatility of almond usage. Issues such as environmental stewardship, food safety and global commerce have also gained increased visibility under the program. The Global Strategic Almond Marketing Framework taps into a broad range of spokespersons to deliver key messages about almonds in the media.