Dive Brief:
- Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) and Dole announced a new co-branded line of fresh produce featuring Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel characters, according to a news release.
- The companies expect the co-branded produce line to reach grocery and retail stores nationwide as soon as this fall.
- "As an industry leader in licensed food, we are excited to pair our unrivaled portfolio of brands, characters and stories with Dole’s fresh fruits and vegetables to support parents as they encourage their kids to make healthier food choices," Josh Silverman, DCPI's executive vice president of global licensing, said in the release.
Dive Insight:
Co-branded product partnerships aren't new to the industry, if the plethora of "Star Wars" or "Batman v, Superman" products leading up to movie release dates last year was any indication. Disney and Marvel characters also appeared on kid-facing Chobani product labels.
This time around, it's the scope of the partnership and status of both companies as global juggernauts in their respective industries that distinguishes the deal and demonstrates its potential. This product line's debut is just the first of several health and nutrition education programs themed around this set of characters that the two companies will introduce in the next year.
Public health advocates have long debated marketing directed at children, particularly when cartoon characters and idols like athletes, actors and musicians offer endorsements and appear in ads for unhealthy products. But manufacturers like Dole are trying to use those same tactics to lure children to healthier eating habits.
However, other experts question these methods because it could be sending the wrong message and encouraging healthy eating for the wrong reasons — because famous people or characters say to, not because it's the better decision for their growing bodies.