| Title | Tokyo Marathon Special Banana |
| Agency |
Dentsu Worldwide Network
|
| Campaign |
Tokyo Marathon Special Banana
|
| Advertiser |
Dole Japan
|
| Brand |
Lakatan Bananas
|
| Posted | July 2011 |
| Business Sector | Fresh Vegetables, Fruits
|
| Philosophy | Lakatan Banana lacked market awareness, so we focused on the high content of citric acid in the banana and transformed it into a special "sports banana" in the name of "Tokyo Marathon 2011 Special Banana". To make a strong impression as sports banana, we sold it not only at mass retailers but also at sports shops and through Japan’s first fruit vending machine, earning awareness by using such unusual sales channel. We successfully attracted attention of participating "runners" with participatory programs on social media, and thanks to the buzz generated and permeated among runners, we managed to gain significant amount of exposure on mass media. The extensive PR effect, which turned out to be worth 350 million yen, helped spread the topic to general consumers and encourage them to ask for Lakatan Banana at stores. As a result, the sales increased by 150% from the previous year. The extensive PR effect, which turned out to be worth 350 million-yen, helped spread the topic to general consumers and encourage them to ask for Lakatan Banana at stores. As a result, the sales increased by 150% from the previous year. |
| Problem | Banana is a product hard to differentiate by brand, and its sales are largely influenced by the price presented in supermarkets and other stores. The price of Lakatan Banana is approximately 1.5 times that of ordinary bananas. In addition, Lakatan Banana accounts for only 1% of total banana sales by Dole, therefore it was necessary to take actions to raise awareness of the brand among consumers as well as distribution channels. Lakatan Banana, smaller than average bananas are easy to eat, has a unique advantage of containing 1.5 times more citric acid which is an ingredient of sports drinks. |
| Result | Our communication towards runners created a popular topic that triggered a large-scale exposure to TV and mass media. 70 media including TV programs and websites took up the topic, generating a PR effect worth 350 million yen which is 15 times the cost, while fulfilling the request of our advertiser. |
| Media Type |
Case Study
|
| Account Director |
Shoichi Yamakawa
|
| Director |
Toshiki Takahashi
|
| Account Planner |
Naoko Goto
|
