The camera moves along a floor strewn with clothing and undergarments, obviously discarded in the heat of passion. The lens pans up to reveal a man and a woman on a green couch. The woman appears to have only a white sheet wrapped around her, while the man reclines in a white robe. They giggle as he feeds her a pistachio. A husky voice intones, "Newlyweds do it five times a day."

Welcome to the latest pistachio ad campaign, the first national TV push in the history of the industry -- and the most risque.

Past campaigns by trade groups like the Western Pistachio Association focused on health and nutrition. This one is unabashedly suggestive.

"We want to get some sizzle out there," said Dominic Engels, vice president of global marketing for Kern County-based Paramount Farms, considered the largest pistachio grower, processor and marketer in the world.

The ads, which cost Paramount $15 million, are an attempt to reverse a slump that has sales down 20 percent this year, according to published reports.

The industry is still struggling with the aftermath of last year's salmonella scare. And then there is the shaky economy, which has cautious consumers focusing on basic foodstuffs.

"They both have contributed, I'm sure ... In a recession, you think twice about buying (pistachios), because the money is tight," said Kings County grower Larry Easterling.

Paramount's campaign aims to change that, in part by linking sex with the small nut.

In one video, a black leather-clad woman cracks open a pistachio with a whip after a sultry voice purrs, "Dominatrix do it on command."

Avenal-based grower Bob Keenan said he's glad about the efforts to lift pistachio sales back to pre-recall levels.

"If their (ads) are successful, we're very pleased about that," Keenan said.

"It's trying to get pistachios in front of consumers so they'll be thinking about them more often when they go to the store," Easterling said.

"I think any advertising, as long as it's not blatantly bad, is good for the industry."

"I don't care if it's a little sexy. And I think the humor is always good," Easterling added.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432.

--Watch the videos: Go to www.getcrackin.com

(Oct. 8, 2009)