MONTEREY, Calif. – Dole christens the next phase of its groundbreaking “Find Your Inspiration” salad campaign this week with one of America’s most famous fashion commentators conducting a nationwide search for the most stylish salad.
Clinton Kelly, star of TLC’s “What Not to Wear” and the new ABC daytime show, “The Chew,” becomes the second of three celebrity artists enlisted by Dole to inspire consumers to new heights of in-kitchen creativity using Dole’s line of 38 salad blends and all-natural kits. A highlight of this second 10-week phase is an online search for the country’s most stylish salad which challenges salad fans to use all the tenets of fashion – patterns, textures and colors – to create their most fashionable lettuce-based masterpiece.
Launched in May with Candice Olson, host of HGTV’s “Candice Tells All,” “Find Your Inspiration” features a series of non-food designers, artists and performers applying their distinctive area of creative expertise to salad making. The campaign theme was selected from research indicating that many American salad lovers envision themselves as culinary artists and are as excited about making their salads as they are about the final result.
“Since salad-making has emerged as a true art form, Dole wanted to explore how some of the country’s best-known artists, designers and performers express themselves in the kitchen,” explained Ronda Reed, vice president of marketing for Dole Fresh Vegetables.
Kelly was selected by Dole because of his love for salads and the strong affinity that salad enthusiasts have for him and his TLC show. He will also appear on the upcoming food-themed ABC program, “The Chew”, starring chefs Mario Batali and Michael Symon.
One of the largest salad-specific marketing campaigns in Dole history, “Find Your Inspiration” combines extensive digital and mobile advertising, in-store promotions, coupons and consumer sweepstakes with dedicated Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages spotlighting the celebrity artists. Also planned are Quick Response (QR) and Short Codes on Dole POS materials that link salad shoppers directly to new product recipes, pairings, nutrition and other information.
To enter Clinton Kelly’s “Stylish Salad Sweepstakes,” consumers need to submit a recipe and photo of their most stylish salad and fill out an entry form at www.dole.com/salad before Sept. 26, 2011. Selected recipe entries and daily winners will be featured on Dole's website and Facebook pages, with one entry ultimately being selected as the sweepstakes winner for the "Most Stylish Salad."
A daily winner will also be randomly drawn each day between July 18 and Sept. 26, 2011, and awarded a $100 American Express gift card. No purchase is necessary to enter.
According to Reed, the comprehensive, research-driven campaign is one of the first for Dole and the produce industry to focus as much on the art of salad-making as on the finished product itself.
“We found that today’s packaged salad consumers are most passionate about salad creation, and see an empty plate or bowl as the blank canvas and the lettuce and salad ingredients as their tools for creation,” she said.
For more information on DOLE Salads, including recipes, serving suggestions and nutritional information, go to www.dole.com/salads.
About Dole Foods
Dole, with 2010 net revenues of $6.9 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 Foods
