Outside the Box

Finding a new way to build out a brand in a static product category isn't easy. But for Playtex-owned Banana Boat Suncare, the solution was simple — rescue people who are stuck indoors during the summer months.

Banana Boat is conducting its first-ever rescue contest, in which consumers nominate themselves or someone else to escape their jobs for the day and get outside in the sun.

Gold n Fish Marketing Group, Armonk, NY, developed the concept.

To enter, consumers submit an essay (maximum 100 words) at www.bananaboat.com describing why they or their nominee should be rescued. Banana Boat will award 24 rescues (two each week) during the promotion, which ends Aug. 7.

Winners can participate in any outdoor activity valued up to $1,000. Rescues will take place through Labor Day. Internet materials, radio spots and display ads support.

Banana Boat launched the campaign in part to activate its “Celebrate the Sun” tagline and build more awareness about the brand, says Joseph Franzino, product manager for Westport, CT-based Banana Boat.

“We don't like to see people stuck indoors,” Franzino says. “We want people to get outside and enjoy themselves.”

In March, Banana Boat conducted an online survey that asked consumers to vote on the occupation that is most in need of the sun. Survey results found that coroners top the list as jobholders most in need of a rescue.

In developing the rescue concept, Gold n Fish Marketing wanted to build a promotion that differentiated Banana Boat from other brands, says Steve Gold, the agency's creative officer.

“There's something about adding a little personality to a brand,” Gold adds. “What you need to do for brands is help them to own a space.”

Since March, Banana Boat has received hundreds of contest entries. The promotion is creating so much buzz, Banana Boat is considering a second run next year, Franzino says.

“It's kind of funky,” Franzino says of the promotion. “It goes back to Banana Boat's heritage of being this really fun brand.”