Turners & Growers is aiming to invigorate the banana category in New Zealand this summer, starting with a re-launch of the Bonita brand.
While the fresh produce distributor has been supplying New Zealanders with Ecuadorian-grown Bonita Cavendish for over 50 years, the new campaign is Turners & Growers’ first large scale promotion of the brand in over a decade.
Mike Trehey, Turners & Growers’ marketing executive, hoped the launch of a new Bonita New Zealand website, a programme of in store tastings and the roll out of new point of sales materials would encourage a spike in Bonita banana consumption.
“There hasn’t been much marketing activity for Bonita over the last ten years, so we were looking at how we could inject energy and personality into the brand and the category,” Trehey said. “We are highlighting the unique cooking attributes of Bonita’s varieties through recipe suggestions posted on the website and distributed through sales materials, along with the idea that bananas are the ideal food source for day to day living.”
The campaign’s focus on lifestyle benefits means Turners & Growers has chosen not to pitch it at a target audience. Instead, it aims to remind all consumers about the qualities that have made Bonita synonymous with the banana market in New Zealand over the last half a century.
“It’s important for us to invest in a brand that is not only the largest fruit consumed in New Zealand but is also one that is loved by all ages from small children through to grandparents,” Rosstan Mazey, Turners & Growers global marketing manager, explained. “The nutrition supplied by the Bonita banana, along with its portability, make it a favourite for Kiwis.”
The campaign is being supported by the introduction of a number of new Bonita varieties into the New Zealand market. Red bananas hit retail shelves around the country earlier this year, with Plantains, a banana commonly consumed in Lain America, set to be released in the coming weeks.
“We are positioning the Reds as a slightly more premium banana than our other Bonita offerings but so far they have been well received, with sales steadily increasing,” Trehey said.
'Plantains are much lower in sugar and higher in starch than your average banana, therefore we are positioning them as a tropical potato, which can be grilled baked of fried.
“We realise it is going to take time to build a market for these varieties, but with supporting information and a campaign focused on targeting early adopters, we are confident they will be a success with our consumers.
“There will be more exciting product lines to come.”
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