Global entertainment giant Disney has a long history of marketing cooperation with the food industry, and fruit products with Disney cartoon characters on the packaging are a fairly common sight in US supermarkets. During the promotional period for its latest feature film Cinderella in China, Disney has teamed up with local fresh fruit e-tailer Fruitday to offer consumers Cinderella-themed packaged oranges. Fruitday has revealed that this is Disney’s first partnership with a fresh produce online retailer.
“This partnership is a gateway to new territories for both sides. Globally, Fruitday is the first-ever fresh fruit e-tailer that Disney has partnered with. On the other hand, for the fresh produce e-tailing industry, this unprecedented partnership is a milestone,” says Loren Zhao, co-founder of Fruitday, China’s leading fresh fruit e-tailer.
Zhao thinks Disney’s positive and cheerful image is “rather fitting” for the fruit business. It resonates with Fruitday’s focus on bringing happiness to consumers with high-quality fruit. He also adds that Fruitday cares a great deal about healthy lifestyles for young children, which is something Disney shares in common.
Though it may sound like “a match made in heaven”, becoming a partner of Disney has not been a simple process.
“We know that Disney holds its partners to a very high standard, especially when it comes to food. Before establishing a partnership, Disney conducted a comprehensive in-depth review of our operations,” Zhao explains.
Every aspect of Fruitday’s business was examined, including its supplier sources, storage facilities, cold chain logistics and its food safety and financial systems.
“So you can say that our partnership is, in a way, a recognition of the quality of our products and brand,” Zhao says proudly.
The Cindarella ‘Dreams come true’-branded oranges are only the first product to come out of the Fruitday-Disney relationship. “We will continue to work together on various product development and marketing projects. Our customers can expect to find classic Disney cartoon characters on Fruitday’s products in the future,” Zhao reveals.
With the new Shanghai Disneyland opening early next year, Chinese consumers can look forward to an array of Disney-themed products and promotions.
