WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — A summer-long national marketing campaign that challenges summer fitness fans and recreational enthusiasts to consider the banana as one of nature’s best energy sources has its roots in a new study equating America’s best-selling fruit with the most popular sports drinks.
The study, published in May in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE, found that bananas provide the same energy bost, a much bigger nutrition bang and no artificial ingredients compared to the leading sports drinks – at about one-third the price.
To leverage this new research and the widely held belief that bananas provide one of the best natural pick-me-ups, Dole Fresh Fruit, a subsidiary of Dole Food Company, Inc., is launching Nature’s Original Energy Bar™, a national program that encourages banana fans to see the fruit as nutritionally superior to other sources of energy during and after summer exercise and recreation.
Elements of the summer program include digital advertising, radio, in-store, PR and social media elements that reinforce the proven energy- and recovery-inducing qualities of the fruit. Campaign-specific mobile and web pages target banana fans inside and outside the store with nutritional information and healthy, high-energy new summer recipes ranging from fruit bars and smoothies to snacks, salads, sandwiches and entrees.
Launching nationally this week, the energy-themed initiative is part of Dole’s year-long Go Bananas Every Day™ campaign designed to make bananas an even bigger part of America’s daily routine. The program is the first to target fitness fans and outdoor enthusiasts in addition to mainstream banana lovers.
“Everyone assumes bananas to be one of nature’s best, most efficient energy sources, but until this study, a direct comparison of bananas to sports drinks had never been undertaken,” said David Bright, vice president of marketing for Dole Fresh Fruit. “Now that we’ve proven once and for all that bananas are a superior natural energy source, it made sense to devote our summer program to the good news.”
In the study, “Bananas vs. Sports Drinks as an Energy Source for Athletes,” researchers at the Dole Nutrition Research Institute at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, N.C., used metabolomics to show that bananas provide fuel to the working muscles just as well as commercially available sports drinks.
The study also reinforced those direct benefits bananas provide that sports drinks can’t: improved blood antioxidant capacity and the vitamins, minerals and fiber needed by athletes to maintain their performance. The first research to directly compare bananas to sports drinks as an energy source, the study is also the first to show that bananas perform as favorably on a metabolic level.
For a complete view of the study, go to
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0037479
High-energy Campaign Extensions
To support the research and related campaign, Dole created the Nature’s Original Energy Bar Adventure Sweepstakes™. Participants can enter on the DOLE Bananas Facebook page for their chance to win the high-energy adventure trip of their choice. One of the most popular Facebook pages in the produce industry, Dole’s dedicated banana page has more than 530,000 fans.
The national campaign will be supported by intensified, local-market efforts in Baltimore, Charlotte, S.C., Portland, Ore., and Seattle. These markets, which are being christened “Top Banana Cities” for 2012, have been singled out by Dole for significant local advertising, in-store, online, social media and PR support to encourage local banana-loving residents to widen their banana horizons even further.
Throughout the summer, Dole representatives will honor those local restaurants, bars and other food-oriented businesses in each city that have a unique connection to the fruit, or push the commonly accepted boundaries of banana cuisine. Dole will also work with local registered dieticians (RDs), chefs and food, fitness and family bloggers to educate residents about bananas through media and public appearances, sampling and tasting events.
“Pound for pound and dollar for dollar, bananas pack an amazing nutritional and energy punch. They really are nature’s original energy bar – and we’re excited to be able to take this extremely positive, research-backed message to banana and fitness lovers nationwide,” said Bright.
For more information on DOLE Bananas, including recipes, serving suggestions and nutritional information from Dole and the Dole Nutrition Institute, go to www.dole.com/bananas or www.facebook.com/dolebananas. High-res photography of DOLE Bananas, recipes and marketing campaign elements also are available.
About DOLE Bananas
DOLE is the top-selling banana in America and the world — in both conventional and organic product categories. From its founding by James Drummond Dole, the company has built its reputation on a ceaseless commitment to quality. Today, the DOLE brand stands for more than 150 years of quality produce — and the world’s largest supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables, including bananas. Dole strives to grow, produce, harvest, transport and distribute its bananas and other produce in the most environmentally and socially conscious way possible.
About Dole Food Company, Inc.
Dole, with 2011 net revenues of $7.2 billion, is the world’s largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, and is the leading producer of organic bananas. Dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen fruit and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research.
Source: Dole Food Company, Inc.