Del Monte Fresh Produce has announced the launch of 'Buy A Bunch. Lose A Bunch.', an integrated marketing campaign that aims to engage consumers with the company's 'Eat Healthy. Live Healthy.' motto.
The initiative will focus on marketing bananas, the most purchased fresh fruit among US consumers, as an affordable diet staple which can help people lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
'Buy A Bunch. Lose A Bunch.' kicks off this summer, a time when many consumers are apparently looking to get in shape.
'The campaign combines traditional in-store signage with social and mobile media to connect with consumers in our fast-paced, changing marketplace,' said Dennis Christou, vice-president of marketing for North America at Del Monte Fresh Produce Company.
'There is no magic bullet to weight loss, but bananas can be an integral part to a nutritious low-calorie diet, he added. 'Their affordability and popularity put them within reach for any consumer.'
The initiative involves a number of online and offline components. Online, Del Monte is offering five trips for two to the Banana Beach Resort in Belize.
One trip will be given away along with US$100 gift cards in sweepstakes run through supermarket retailers and online at www.fruits.com.
The retail promotion will be supported by a series of new banana stickers and in-store signage highlighting the sweepstakes and driving consumers online.
Four additional trips will be won through Del Monte's new Facebook page, 'Fan of Bananas', where a Diet Challenge Sweepstake will encourage consumers to learn more about bananas and healthy eating.
By completing a series of four challenges that range from sharing recipes and photos to taking a survey, users will be entered into the competition and have a chance to win a range of prizes.
Twitter users, meanwhile, can also engage with the promotion via the twitter handle @fanofbananas.
The Diet Challenge, meanwhile, will kick off with a Twitter Party hosted by @MomCentral.
With over 16,000 followers, MomCentral will offer Del Monte the chance to connect with a socially active group of people interested in healthy eating and help them learn about the campaign and how bananas might contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
Participants will also be able to win some fun banana-related prizes by retweeting information and answering quiz questions.
The Del Monte campaign is also set to reach mobile phone users with the launch of the Del Monte Fresh Lifestyles application for iPhone and BlackBerry users.
The app will feature recipes and product information, diet information and tools, fun games for adults and kids, and downloadable coupons for bananas and other Del Monte fresh fruits and vegetables.
The apps will be available for free at the iPhone App Store and BlackBerry App World.
In addition, Facebook programmes will offer even more opportunities for consumers to participate and win prizes, including live chats with a nutritionist and fitness tips from experts.
The page will also provide coupons, recipes, diet and nutrition tips, trivia and general information on bananas.
Del Monte views activity within social media as a long-term means of building up a community of banana enthusiasts within which they can share ideas and experiences.
'Staying fit is not a trend, it's a lifestyle,' said Mr Christou. 'We want our consumers to feel empowered to eat fresh and to be healthy. The Facebook Banana Diet Challenge and Del Monte Fresh Lifestyles app are tools to help jumpstart a new, healthy lifestyle.'
