Dive Brief:

• Kind is promoting the launch of its Kind Energy Bar with the Kind Energy Pledge, per a press release. The pledge encourages consumers to eat energy bars before exercising instead of before less physical activities.
• The company is giving the first 1,000 people to sign the pledge and submit a photo or a receipt for the purchase of any energy bar, whether made by Kind or its competitors, $100 to spend on a future fitness-related expense.
• The campaign continues the "bar wars" with competitor Clif, that has included marketing salvos by both brands, per details emailed to Marketing Dive. Kind's 2020 survey found that 75% of respondents eat Clif bars while relaxing at home, running errands or sitting at their desks, rather than before exercise, per the email.

Dive Insight:

With the launch of its energy bar and its Kind Energy Pledge campaign, Kind is firing another shot at competitor Clif. In March 2019, Clif took out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for Kind to go organic, which was followed by Kind unveiling a 30-second ad pointing out the amount of brown rice syrup in Clif Bars. The latest effort keys in on research that found that Clif bar consumers are not eating the bars before physical activity, as intended, and are instead eating them like a regular snack. However, energy bars tend to be larger and higher in calories than other snack bars because they are meant to be consumed before exercise.  

By giving 1,000 people $100 for exercise expenses whether they eat a Kind energy bar or one by their competitors, Kind can tap in to the at-home exercise trend that has accelerated due to the coronavirus pandemic. For example, exercise equipment maker Peloton saw a 172% surge in sales and more than 1 million people subscribing to its streaming classes in fiscal Q4 as people opted to workout at home rather than at gyms, many of which remain closed during the pandemic.

To make a splash in the energy bar market, which saw 10% growth in 2019, Kind is "significantly investing" in TV, paid digital and influencers, per details shared with Marketing Dive. As part of the push, Kind is positioning itself as a less sweet alternative to Clif.

Kind hasn't had its attention solely focused on its competitors. In July, the brand launched a contest to promote its line of frozen food bars, Kind Frozen. As part of that effort, the company tapped Antoni Porowski, food aficionado of Netflix's "Queer Eye" to facilitate video calls with the three contest winners. The effort is among the many that turned experiential efforts into at-home activations during the pandemic.