Sunkist celebrates season with holiday promotion

Sunkist Growers says it is kicking off of the 2024 holiday season with a collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing together two timeless classics — Sunkist navel oranges and the beloved Christmas movie, "The Polar Express."

This year Sunkist is introducing a limited-edition "The Polar Express" holiday-themed 10-pound carton and quarter-bin for its navel oranges, designed to capture the nostalgia and magic of the holiday season, according to a news release.

"Our collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery’s holiday film, The Polar Express, which is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year, speaks to the shared pastimes and timelessness of both our Navel oranges and this beloved holiday classic," said Cassie Howard, senior director of category management and marketing for Sunkist Growers. "We are excited to make the citrus season even more special for shoppers with this promotion, which will be supported with engaging activations driving consumers to stores to look for Sunkist and ways to incorporate in-season citrus into shared holiday pastimes.”

Navel oranges have been a cherished holiday tradition for generations, the company said, symbolizing warmth, family and the joy of giving. Sunkist is carrying this gift-giving and holiday theme to its merchandising bins and "The Polar Express" promotion.

With the purchase of a 10-pound limited-edition "The Polar Express" themed carton of Sunkist navel oranges by Dec. 31, the first 3,000 participating shoppers can upload an image of their receipt to enjoy "The Polar Express" on digital, the release said.

In addition to "The Polar Express" themed quarter-bin and promotional 10-pound carton, Sunkist said it helps retailers brighten their stores during the holidays with a holiday gift wrap quarter-bin and holiday ribbon bin wrap and quarter-bin display option.

“Our holiday merchandising bins give retailers the opportunity to build large, eye-catching displays so their shoppers can easily find navel oranges and other citrus options, including lemons, mandarins and grapefruit," Howard said. "We know how important sharing time around the dinner table is during the holidays, and our variety of holiday recipes can play an important role in these occasions and help increase citrus sales by driving shoppers to stores."

To encourage in-store sales, Sunkist said it supports "The Polar Express" promotion with targeted social and digital consumer campaigns. Shoppers are invited to share their festive moments with citrus-inspired dishes and family gatherings at #SunkistCitrus for a chance to be featured on Sunkist’s social channels. A QR code printed on the limited-edition "The Polar Express" themed cartons links to a dedicated offer landing page with promotional details.

“We’re excited to do another holiday program this season, as this collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment allows us to deliver even more value to retailers and their shoppers,” Howard said. “Our holiday carton program has had three years of positive volume growth, with the last movie-themed program culminating in a 49% increase in volume versus the prior season.”

"The Polar Express" themed navel orange cartons, quarter-bins and other holiday merchandising display bins and wraps start shipping to participating retailers in early November, the company said.