Brand-a-Banana
Let me ask you a question: How the heck are you supposed to build brand value for a banana?
It’s a familiar challenge for brand marketers tasked with engaging consumers around basic commodities. But produce giant Chiquita, one of the most recognizable names in their industry, has managed to grow and maintain excellent brand recognition over the years, thanks largely to an assortment of outside-of-the-box strategies.
For the next eight weeks, Chiquita will be hosting “Cooking Lab”—a weekly recipe contest designed to engage consumers with User Generated Content. Consumers who visit the contest website on desktop or mobile devices will be encouraged to “scratch to reveal” the week’s three secret ingredients (one of which—of course—will always be a banana).
Related: User Generated Content – Marketing to the “Selfie” Generation
The Chiquita “Cooking Lab” Recipe Contest leverages the mobile touch screen for a more interactive experience
Once the three ingredients are revealed, users can choose to either view sample recipes to try at home, or they can submit their own concoctions for a chance to win $4,000. The winning recipe each week will be featured on Chiquita media and merchandize all across the country, and a fun, stop-motion video will be produced that showcases the dish being created.
Last week’s “secret ingredients” were banana, apples, and oats. Check out this week’s ingredients here. Who knows? You might even submit the winning recipe.
At the top of the contest page, a visible countdown timer indicates how much time is left to enter the week’s contest—providing a visual cue to create a sense of urgency for the user, increasing the rate of engagement.
The visual cue of a countdown timer creates a sense of urgency to encourage participation
Earlier this year, when Chiquita was an official sponsor of Little League, the produce giant drove brand value on mobile devices with another User Generated Content campaign—one that allowed users to create and share custom-branded baseball cards of Little Leaguers.
Visit Chiquita’s “Cooking Lab”
Related:
Chiquita Teams Up With Little League: Driving Brand Value With Mobile Engagement
Photo Booth Ad Units
User Generated Content – Marketing to the “Selfie” Generation
Yes, please.