An UNREAL Way Through the Pandemic
There’s something about the way chocolate melts in your mouth and satiates you while begging you to grab some more when eating it. It’s delicious.
So what if there was a chocolate that was certified vegan, certified gluten-free, certified non-gmo, made from fair trade ingredients, with no sugar alcohols, no soy ingredients, and sustainable ingredients…
It would taste horrible right? Wrong. These chocolate snacks taste incredible! They’re literally called Unreal Snacks…because they practically are.
Since the startup began in 2010, Unreal Snacks have taken off and are growing consistently, appearing in stores like Whole Foods, smaller health food stores, on amazon.com, and in many other grocery stores around the country. The brand has taken off between its health principles and stern stance regarding sustainability, two qualities that people have found ever more important since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Response to the Pandemic
Unreal hasn’t had a particularly pronounced response to the pandemic, however, they’ve responded through social media and their messaging patterns. At the start of the pandemic on March 30, 2020, Unreal Snacks posted on instagram, their main social media account, thanking grocery store teams for helping to stock the shelves as well as thanking the healthcare providers and essential workers for their support and work during the pandemic time.
In addition, on its Instagram, it started a “Wellness Wednesdays” featuring different tips and tricks for a healthy schedule, incorporating Unreal Snacks. Additionally, the account features some awesome sweet recipes that also incorporate the delicious candy. Although these posts might not be grand notions, the tips and recipes are little ways of assisting people in getting through this crazy time. These small posts or gestures are Unreal’s way of showing its community that the company is there for them. It also puts out a sense of gratitude and grounding that acknowledges everyone needs a little extra help these days.
Thoughts
I think Unreal Snacks, for a snack company, had a solid response to the pandemic. The best way for companies to help is by communicating to its customers on social media and other platforms about how to keep busy and positive during the pandemic. Little tips and activities on Wellness Wednesdays and recipes to fill time are the ways many Americans have been able to fight through the pandemic. These tactics have helped to turn products into more of a lifestyle and have provided brands with ways to show consumers how to incorporate their products into daily life.
There is currently much anticipation around the world, with hopes of a fully-vaccinated society. Unreal has given continued subtle ways to maintain the hope and continue keeping people positive during this time, just as brands will continue to have to do go forward to stay relevant. Social media has become a dramatically more important way to communicate, probably more than even email is in current society. Therefore, I believe it will be an everlastingly important notion for brands to communicate with their consumers through social media and make their brand into a lifestyle, rather than simply just a product.
