What do a panda, gorilla and bear have in common with Dole?

The F&B group of Dole Sunshine Company's latest campaign to promote fruit bowls depicts unsuspecting fruit bowl eaters as animals. It features a panda, gorilla, and bear infiltrating places such as homes, offices, and parks in a quest to take their snack back. Developed by Grey New York in partnership with Grey NJ United, the campaign has rolled out in Thailand, the Philippines, China, Japan, and South Korea. It currently runs in stores, social and digital platforms.

One of Dole’s six promises is zero processed sugar - eliminating all processed sugar by 2025. According to the spokesperson, this campaign and product are directly aligned to this promise. APAC VP and MD Aashim Malhotra said healthy snacking is on the rise across the region as appetite for small bites replaces larger meals, as consumers look for healthier and more nutritious foods. “Reaching for a Fruit Bowl that even wildlife would covet sends a clear message of a snack as close to nature as we believe you can get," he added.

As part of Dole’s Promise of bringing prosperity to people and the planet, global CMO Rupen Desai said Dole is committed to delivering fruit as close to nature as possible, even when it is packaged. "The team at Dole and Grey had a lot of fun bringing these ideas to life as we celebrate and showcase product uniqueness in a different light," Desai added. Dole declined to comment on its marketing plans for 2022.

Desai joined the company in 2019 and told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE previously that he was an accidental marketer and didn't grow up thinking this was his career trajectory. According to him, one of the crucial skills he can bring from the agency side to his current role at Dole is understanding the importance of the exponential impact creativity can bring. Desai explained that creativity is one of the most underutilised assets in the arsenal of brands. 

Separately, the company has been pushing ahead with its bid to tackle waste with a campaign called Malnutrition Labels: Food Waste to help transform the very symbol of waste into a valuable tool supporting waste reduction and fighting hunger. This is the second in the campaign series called Malnutrition Labels inspired by the universally known nutrition label. Meanwhile, in July this year, it partnered with Ananas Anam, the Lond-based company behind Pinatex, a vegan and natural alternative to leather made from sustainably sourced pineapple leaf fibres.

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