Marketer renews partnership with video gaming giant to build healthy connections with Gen Z and Gen Alpha
Dole is set to expand its partnership with video gaming phenomenon Minecraft and place pineapples at the centre of a bigger campaign this summer, as the marketer looks to build brand awareness and demand among younger consumers.
On 21 June, the company plans to roll out an expanded, 15-week campaign across North America and Europe – including, for the first time, France and Sweden – with a range of digital and physical activities focused on the concept of healthy enjoyment.
It will offer in-game rewards and a new character creation that allows players on the Minecraft platform to customise their avatars with a branded ‘pineapple hoodie’.
The decision to expand this year’s promotional activity follows the apparent success of Dole’s first Minecraft tie-in last year.
“The response to our first campaign with Minecraft showed us that today’s consumers, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha, are looking for experiences that connect their digital and physical worlds in meaningful ways,” said Dole’s director of corporate communications, Bil Goldfield. “We proved that fresh fruit can play a role in that ecosystem.”
According to the company, it saw a 20 times more visits to the campaign’s website from QR code scans than for any other recent one.
This reportedly generated 2mn landing page views, millions of social media impressions, and hundreds of millions of earned impressions worldwide.
The campaign is also said to have inspired a change in shopper behaviour, with 60 per cent of participants apparently saying they were more likely to buy Dole’s fruit.
It is understood that more than 70 per cent of consumers discovered the promotion via retail channels, a statistic that Dole said reinforced the role of packaging and the produce aisle as “powerful engagement channels”.
Online and offline
This time around, Dole’s focus on pineapples will feature a new collection of recipes, immersive digital puzzles, and activities that encourage offline activity and healthy eating.
“This next phase is about taking everything we learned and making it even more impactful,” Goldfield added. “We’re combining the strength of our brand, the relevance of gaming culture and the power of good nutrition to create something that resonates with families around the world.”
In stores, Dole said it would again transform the produce aisle into an interactive destination through QR-enabled banana stickers and pineapple tags that encourage consumers to connect their purchases to digital rewards and experiences.
