WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA — Dole (http://www.dole.com) is out to make it socially acceptable to go bananas every day.
Undeterred that close to 90 percent of U.S. households already purchase bananas regularly — one of the highest penetrations of any supermarket item — the produce giant is challenging all Americans to make bananas part of their daily routine in 2012. The year-long initiative is consistent with Dole's long-time goal of increasing the public's nutritional health through greater consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
The world's largest provider of fresh produce, and the No. 1 banana brand in North America, Dole is building upon the success of its Go Bananas™ campaigns in 2009 and 2010 to take America's unabashed love for bananas even further. The Go Bananas Every Day™ campaign by Dole Fresh Fruit (http://www.dole.com/bananas) will combine tempting new recipes, promotions and partnerships with 366 ways to enjoy the iconic fruit in 2012 (reflecting 2012's status as a leap year).
Launched on Jan. 1, 2012, 366 Ways to Go Bananas in 2012™ will offer a unique — and often unheard-of — way to enjoy a banana every day of the year. Banana fans can follow DOLE® Bananas on Twitter (@DOLEBananas; the 366-specific Twitter hashtag is #Go366) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/dolebananas) to receive daily or weekly banana-friendly suggestions, respectively.
A sampling of the 366 Ways to Go Bananas in 2012:
Day 5 (Jan. 5) Polish your leather shoes with a banana peel.
Day 8 (Jan. 8) Celebrate Elvis Presley's birthday by eating his favorite sandwich, peanut butter and banana.
Day 52 (Feb. 21) Order the Bananas Foster at Brennan's in New Orleans. (The French Quarter restaurant created the famous flaming dessert in the 1950s.) http://www.brennansneworleans.com/r_bananasfoster.html
Day 78 (Mar. 18) Treat your post-St. Patrick's Day hangover with a banana, nature's Vitamin B6-rich hangover cure.
Day 154 (June 2) Celebrate National Trails Day by taking a banana with you on a hike. It's nature's perfect nutrient-dense portable pick-me-up. http://www.americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/
Day 238 (Aug. 25) Observe National Banana Split Day. The famous dessert celebrates its 108th birthday in 2012.
Day 271 (Sept. 27) Go to Pie n' Burger in Pasadena, Calif., and order the Banana Creme Pie, which the New York Times says is the best in the U.S. www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/magazine/14food.t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&oref=slogin
Day 285 (Oct. 11) Trade in the nicotine gum or patch for a banana to help stop smoking. http://www.banana.com/medicinal.html
Day 357 (Dec. 22) Arrange a basket of bananas, apples, pears, pineapples and other fruit to make a quick, easy and healthy last-minute Christmas gift.
Dole's Go Bananas Every Day initiative will be supported by a 12-month-long multimedia marketing effort encompassing a campaign-specific microsite, traditional and digital advertising, sticker program, public relations, social media, blogger and other third-party partnerships. Dole will visit select cities throughout the year to meet with food bloggers, registered dieticians, retailers, the media and other influencers to discuss the health, versatility, affordability and convenience benefits of America's most popular fruit.
Dole will also work with retailers across the county to develop in-store promotions, point-of-sale materials, sampling events and other programs, and will use its dedicated social media platforms, followed by a collective audience of more than 600,000 banana lovers, to get the word out.
For more information on DOLE Bananas, including recipes, serving suggestions and nutritional information, go to http://www.dole.com/bananas.
About DOLE Bananas
DOLE is the top-selling banana in America and the world — in both conventional and organic product categories. From its founding by James Drummond Dole, the company has built its reputation on a ceaseless commitment to quality. Today, the DOLE brand stands for more than 150 years of quality produce — and the world's largest supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables, including bananas. Dole strives to grow, produce, harvest, transport and distribute its bananas and other produce in the most environmentally and socially conscious way possible. For more information, go to www.dole.com/bananas.
About Dole Food Company, Inc.
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 Food Company, Inc.
