LOS ANGELES—It was less than two weeks into the new year, and KIND Snacks and actress Lana Condor were already trying their hardest to get people to break their resolutions.
On Jan. 12, the snack brand hosted "Better You by Lana," a one-day wellness pop-up at Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade. A partnership with the actress and YouTuber, the faux wellness store aimed to flip the script on how to start the new year by helping consumers shut out the noise and stress surrounding the pressure to “be better” every January. 
The space was designed to resemble a wellness store.Photo: KIND Snacks
“Each and every January, we all feel like we should be changing our daily routines to become better versions of ourselves. It’s time to ask ourselves how well these resolutions are serving us,” said Condor in a press release. “Better You by Lana certainly sounds like a wellness store in name, but the experience KIND and I teamed up to create is anything but. We will empower consumers to shut out the noise that comes with the new year.”
The pop-up was purposely timed to Quitter’s Day, the day that most Americans typically quit their New Year’s resolutions. Created in partnership with experiential production company Tenure, the space focused particularly on food and wellness resolutions. 
A wall-sized January calendar was filled with resolutions and to-dos, showcasing the pressure consumers feel surrounding the new year.Photo: KIND Snacks
The first 100 people in line received a custom gift from Condor and KIND.Photo: KIND Snacks
“We live in a world where everyone is confused by the constant chatter and noise around what and how to eat. The noise becomes deafening in January as many write New Year’s resolutions as a to-do list of 'shoulds'—and it can be hard to find clarity through the pressures of the season. KIND wanted to help Americans break free of this pressure,” explained Suejin Kim, senior director of integrated communications and brand purpose at KIND Snacks, in an interview with BizBash.
Lana Condor is an actress best known for starring in the To All the Boys film series, along with X-Men: Apocalypse, Alita: Battle Angel, and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.Photo: KIND Snacks
KIND tapped Condor as a partner for the campaign due to her own views on wellness, balance, and whole nutrition, which Kim noted tied into KIND’s brand values. “She was a perfect partner with a shared vision of empowering people to let go of the extreme food and diet resolutions that no longer serve them, aligning with KIND’s commitment to connecting consumers with the real, whole foods.” 
The photo op-friendly pop-up was created in partnership with experiential production company Tenure.Photo: KIND Snacks
A snacking preferences quiz was displayed on the floor.Photo: KIND Snacks
The activation was designed as an immersive experience that emulated the noise consumers face each January. “We leveraged interactive visual, audio, olfactory, and tactile experiences ranging from a faux wellness store full of tangible representations of extreme wellness fads and a wall-sized January calendar full of endless resolutions and to-dos in the 'noise' portion of the experience,” said Kim.
Other highlights were the "Does your nose know?" ingredient scent game, plus a snacking preferences quiz printed on the floor of the space. “Each element was designed to tap into consumers’ senses and celebrate how trusting our taste buds can lead us to nutritious and delicious eating decisions,” Kim explained. 
An infinity room-inspired space showcased ingredients found in KIND products.Photo: KIND Snacks
As for Kim's favorite part of the experience? “It was amazing to see KIND’s ingredients shine in a variety of immersive and interactive mediums throughout the experience, truly bringing to life for consumers how shutting out the noise and trusting their taste buds can lead to delicious, real, whole recommended foods—like the nuts, whole grains and fruit found in KIND products.”
