PRODUCE BUSINESS EXCLUSIVE Disney And Dole’s MAGIC PRODUCE KINGDOM A symbiotic, historic partnership unfolds into a broad multi-year, healthy living initiative to help parents encourage healthier eating. BY MIRA SLOTT rom a corporate values and brand It leverages Dole’s alignment perspective, dreams strong retail posi- do come true, according to John tioning and health King, vice president-licensing, and wellness acumen Disney Consumables, Burbank, CA, with Disney’s whole- Fdescribing the Dole/Disney partnership and some brand portfolio its sweeping collaboration. and wide scope of The multi-phased “nutrition alliance,” aimed content providers at encouraging families to make healthier food under the Walt Disney choices and increase produce consumption, Company umbrella. has really just taken off with diverse program Bil Goldfield, tentacles planned for the future, says King. director of corporate communications for Dole Food Company, Westlake Village, CA, says this large-scale strategy is about capital- PHOTO COURTESY OF DOLE FOOD COMPANY izing on the overarching themes and story lines in Disney movies and with Disney characters a month or two.” that intertwine healthy lifestyles and make The multi-year healthy living initiative was nutritious eating fun. The goal is to develop a couple of years in the making. “We had been associations that are more long-lasting, rather having conversations for some time, and like than the often disconnected, fleeting character anything else, there have to be things that promotions flashed on countless unhealthy work on both sides of the table,” says King. products tantalizing children throughout the “Not just obvious things like the appropriate grocery aisles. So, when children see the Disney brand alignment between the two corporate character on a package of Dole fresh fruit, their entities, but the timing with the business itself. sensibilities are redirected and those themes We absolutely saw the vision from Day 1, but are reinforced in a deeper way. it took us some time going through the logis- “When we were courting each other, tics and figuring out what the right products we didn’t want a one-hit wonder, a get-in- would look like. You’re just starting to see the “There’s Beauty in Healthy Living” campaign and-out campaign,” says King. “We want to beginning of a lot of exciting things to come.” is featured at Marysville Farmers Marketplace, come together to make a difference; we’re not Dole and Disney have a history going back Marysville, CA. going to do that with a one-off program for to the mid-1970s, when Dole became a sponsor PRODUCE BUSINESS / JUNE 2017 / 79 PHOTO COURTESY OF DOLE FOOD COMPANY Bil Goldfield John King “Fuel up with Dole” celebrates Disney Pixar’s Cars 3 while promoting healthier snacking. “By working with Dole, we can partner and vegetables in our licensing program, which involves deals with partners like Dole who with a branded food company in the produce use our brand and intellectual property on space across a wide selection of products. ...” products,” says King, noting the number does not include its studio partners in Disney’s — John King, Walt Disney Company theme parks. “That brings us to a new cumulative total of 4.7 billion servings of fruits and vegeta- of the Enchanted Tiki Room at the Anaheim, stories. We can use them as positive influences bles since 2006. We have a third-party come CA, Disneyland Park and introduced the Dole for families with kids to make healthy choices. in and audit those numbers. It’s not just a Whip soft serve frozen dessert. “Essentially, Kids are impressionable, and these choices can passive, unquantified approach; it’s part of it was the first time our brands were tied become life-long habits.” our DNA. It’s built into how we operate our together,” says Goldfield. Both brands have a daily business.” halo of family goodness, he adds. DISNEY AND HEALTH When you look at Dole’s fresh portfolio, the Disney sees multiple advantages to part- On the Disney side, the corporation’s well- company is seen as a great partner, says King. nering with Dole. “From any company we’ve ness commitment started in 2006. “Technically, “Keep in mind, we’ll be reporting our results spoken to, Dole probably has the most dedi- we’re in our eleventh year of the program,” says of servings of fruits and vegetables at the end cation to health and wellness, just given [Chief King. “There are three tenets to the licensing of 2017, and Dole will have an influence on Executive Officer} David Murdock’s commit- initiative: it’s about nutritious foods, physical that number. It won’t be directly attributed to ment to the Dole Nutrition Institute in North activity and providing information to families Dole, but Dole will have a significant impact Carolina and its research on the benefits of to help them make better decisions — whether on those results,” says King. a plant-based diet. That’s an added factor,” it’s how to eat healthy and the types of foods says King. and recipes, or with physical activity. Being GETTING KIDS TO SAY ‘YES’ “With Dole, we’re in a new category. We the resource to help families in the decision Consumers can be inundated with all sorts haven’t been in bananas before, and while it’s making you’ll see taking place across the entire of fun character promotions on all types of not the primary reason for our partnership, organization in different ways.” products in the grocery store — and in TV household penetration of bananas is in the Disney instituted a Mickey Check system, advertising — including many unhealthy mid to high 90 percentile, so it’s obviously which requires items to meet specific nutri- choices. “We can talk all day long about how an opportunity to influence a lot of families tional guidelines. Part of the approach is an produce is healthy for you, but parents still and kids,” says King. “If you look at most of 85/15 portfolio balance. “We realize we would have trouble getting their children to want to the produce business, there is not a lot of be hypocritical to say kids shouldn’t have eat it,” says Goldfield. “As a parent of a young consumer goods-type product branding, and treats,” says King. “It’s about moderation. We child myself, I know the power of characters not a lot of companies have dollars to do active allow 15 percent of our portfolio to be treats, — particularly, the power of Disney to get chil- marketing. And while many companies may which ironically have to meet Disney’s treat dren to buy something they don’t even know have an assortment of products, they are not guidelines as well.” they want or need. We know there are other consistently branded across that assortment. As a company, Disney’s goal is to have food brands that have done it successfully; but “By working with Dole, we can partner its entire portfolio meet the 85/15 balance. produce has lagged behind, so we’re trying to with a branded food company in the produce “In North America, we have met that guide- fight the good fight by addressing the pangs of space across a wide selection of products. The line since 2008, so within two years of doing children yelling, ‘I want that,’ by putting those idea is to create impact, so when you walk the program, we were compliant,” says King. characters on the good stuff.” into the retailer, you’ll see in-store theater. You “Globally, our goal is compliance by 2020; we In the first three weeks of its Beauty and the won’t have to hunt for the one product on a continue to make progress each year.” Beast campaign sweepstakes, Dole received a shelf somewhere in the produce space; you’ll Disney is so committed to this program, it higher-than-expected consumer outpouring of be able to see a physical presence in the space. publishes results in its annual report, tracking almost 50,000 entrees. “As retailers get more For us, we have a lot of compelling characters servings of dairy, fruits and vegetables. “In and more exposed to the healthy initiative and there is a high affinity for our brand and 2016, we had 388 million servings of fruits program, coupled by the cumulative consumer 80 / JUNE 2017 / PRODUCE BUSINESS PHOTO COURTESY OF DOLE FOOD COMPANY interest and media coverage, we expect iceberg lettuce. As we delve deeper into to see growing lifts in sales,” says Gold- this later this summer, we’ll start seeing the field. branding on our blueberries, strawberries, Dole is encouraging retailers to raspberries, celery, salad varieties, broccoli, merchandise the branded products in cauliflower — everything’s going to keep prominent displays with its point-of-sale building from there.” materials, recipes, price cards, posters According to King, the program is a and banners. “This includes retail display licensing deal at its core, using Disney’s contests that best encapsulate creativity IP (International Property) and brand on in sales potential and everything else that Dole product and packaging. “We do repre- fills that awareness toward the program- sent other business units within the Walt ming,” says Goldfield. Disney Company. For instance, we work It can be challenging to alter eating with our studio team to complement the behaviors. The produce industry strug- products we have in market. There are many gles to increase consumption, and on how layers that come with that. Then we also best to market fresh fruits and vegetables. work with our Disney digital network Sometimes, promoting produce as “healthy” to help drive the marketing and PR and can create a backlash, as consumers can communications with our various Disney associate healthy with not tasting as good.