Emerald Scores #1 Ranking in Advertising Age With 2007 Super Bowl Spot

Emerald Scores #1 Ranking in Advertising Age With 2007 Super Bowl Spot

STOCKTON, Calif., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Emerald, the snack brand of Diamond Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:DMND) scored well with its advertising during Super Bowl XLI on Sunday, February 4, 2007. A record audience of more than 140 million football fans worldwide watched the company's 30-second spot, which aired during the third quarter of the game. Among the most notable accolades was being ranked #1 in Advertising Age's post-game commercial review by ad critic Bob Garfield, who also called the ad "hilarious and brilliant." The Emerald ad combines the company's trademark offbeat sense of humor with the star power of actor and entertainer Robert Goulet.

Garfield's four-star review of the Emerald spot reads: "At 3 p.m., when your blood sugar is low, Robert Goulet sneaks into your cube and messes with your stuff -- so eat nuts at 3 p.m. every day. Robert Goulet! Putting aside the absurd genius of the premise, here's an ad that creates not just a USP but an entire new market. Hilarious and brilliant."

"We are extremely pleased to be rated as the top Super Bowl commercial by Advertising Age, which is one of the major industry authorities on effective advertising," said Michael J. Mendes, president/CEO of Diamond Foods. "It is our intent to build Emerald brand equity and to effectively position the brand as delivering natural energy when people need it most, and to do this in an entertaining manner that engages the consumer. We are pleased that we have been recognized as achieving this objective with our commercial, and are continuing to build on this with our new consumer campaign."

The campaign was developed by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners of San Francisco, creators of the "GOT MILK?" campaign and Emerald's previous two Super Bowl spots.

The Emerald snack product line achieved national distribution in August 2004, garnering attention for its on-the-go ergonomically designed emerald green canisters, whose lids measure out the recommended daily 1.5 ounces, as well as a wide variety of tasty trans fat-free offerings. In two years, the line has grown from 14 to 23 products, most of which are available nationwide at more than 60,000 retail locations. The product line expanded in January 2007 to include three varieties of oven-roasted nuts.

For more information about Emerald snack products and to obtain screenshots to accompany coverage of the Super Bowl ad, visit the Press Center at www.emeraldnuts.com.

Source: Diamond Foods, Inc.

CONTACT: Vicki Zeigler, Public Relations Manager of Diamond Foods, Inc.,
+1-209-932-5639, or vzeigler@diamondfoods.com; or Chase, +1-415-844-6289, or
chase@accesspr.com, or Vanessa Daniele, +1-415-844-6287, or
vdaniele@accesspr.com, both of Access Communications for Emerald

Web site: http://www.emeraldnuts.com/

Web site: http://www.diamondnuts.com/

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