Dole Fresh Fruit has launched a summer-long marketing campaign in the US championing the banana as one of the world's most natural energy sources.
The group, a subsidiary of Dole Food Company, is launching Nature's Original Energy Bar, a nationwide programme encouraging fitness fans to see the fruit as nutritionally superior to other sources of energy during exercise.
It follows the release of a new study equating the banana with sport drinks, titled 'Bananas vs Sports drinks as an energy source for athletes' and published in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE, which found that bananas offer the same energy boost as these drinks but with a larger nutritional impact, no artificial ingredients and at around one-third of the price.
Elements of the summer campaign, which is described as the first to target fitness fans specifically as well as everyday banana lovers, include digital advertising, in-store, PR and social media elements and campaign-specific mobile and web pages with nutritional information and high-energy recipes.
'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 programme to the good news.'
The study also reinforced those direct benefits bananas provide that sports drinks cannot, such as improved blood antioxidant capacity and the vitamins, minerals and fibre needed by athletes to maintain performance.
'Pound for pound and dollar for dollar, bananas pack an amazing nutritional and energy punch,' Bright added. '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.'
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