US multinational Dole has confirmed it plans to launch a major new marketing campaign in Italy in order to raise awareness of its branded banana offer.
Competition in the Italian market for bananas has intensified over the past year, with leading importer GF Group unveiling its own brand following its much-publicised split with Fresh Del Monte, Chiquita looking to develop its fruit bar retail concept in order to boost its own sales and Del Monte itself opening an office in the country for the first time.
As reported in the Corriere Ortofrutticolo, Dole plans to market its products as La Frutta Differente (The Different Fruit), drawing attention to strict quality standards which it said would be further tightened in the near future and reinforcing the 'Class Extra' status of its bananas.
A second element of the new campaign will be a project called I Maestri della Frutta (The Fruit Masters), which will see Dole Italia work more closely with partners in the country's wholesale trade.
Promotional activity combining radio and press coverage will back up the campaign, the company said, as will its Dole Earth website.
"This ambitious programme represents a unique opportunity for Dole and its distribution partners in Italy to show their competence when it comes to fruit," commented to Dole Italia managing director Vittorio Grotta, "and to secure the trust and loyalty of consumers by demonstrating Dole bananas' distinct characteristics: high-quality fruit produced in a responsible way."
According to data supplied by Eurostat, Italy imported almost 670,000 tonnes of bananas last year, with the market worth just under €396m.
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