Chiquita Brands International has launched a major marketing campaign for its Chiquita bananas, kicking off the activity with the offer of a free ride for Londoners in its branded cabs.

The campaign builds on the success of a 2017 campaign which achieved over 74 million global impressions, and is aimed at raising awareness of Chiquita bananas amongst the brand’s key target audience of UK mums and millennials.

Kicking off this week and running through until mid-August, the activity will again take over central London – giving black cabs and London buses on key central routes ‘We Are Bananas’ wrap-around makeovers, with designs featuring the brand’s iconic blue and yellow branding. The seven-week campaign will also be supported by digital and social activity across the brand’s channels.

To launch the campaign, Chiquita offered consumers who flagged down a Chiquita Bananas yellow cab on July 16th a free ride, so long as they could produce a Chiquita banana.

The yellow taxis were stationed around Covent Garden Piazza, on Henrietta Street and Southampton Street and Holborn tube station all day, offering free rides to anyone with the correct banana fare to anywhere in zones 1 and 2.

John Cockle, Sales and Market Director for Chiquita Brands International, UK and Ireland, comments: “As leaders in the industry, we’re confident that our ‘We are bananas’ campaign will once again put Chiquita bananas front of mind during the key summer period and encourage consumers to ‘think Chiquita’ when they’re making their purchasing decisions. This is the fourth time that we have run a high-profile summer campaign in London, which demonstrates our commitment to creating a vibrant banana category for UK retailers, as well continuing to build the Chiquita banana brand amongst UK consumers.”

Chiquita is a leading global produce company employing 20,000 people across 25 countries. Chiquita serves nearly 70 countries, providing consumers and customers with the highest quality of fruit and service and creating consistent value for the Chiquita brand, its customers, suppliers, associates and communities while respecting the environment.

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As Usain Bolt prepared to run his last ever 100m race, Virgin Media celebrated the fastest man on the planet by using state-of-the-art projection technology to beam Bolt onto the streets of London for a virtual victory lap to mark his record-breaking career.

The activation was delivered by CURB, CSM Live’s creative technology and innovation specialists.

The activity was all captured in a cutting-edge video which shows Bolt running through well-known locations and across famous landmarks, while taking in some of his favourite haunts in the capital.

Bolt, who has been a Virgin Media ambassador since 2012, crossed the finish line for the last time in a 100m final just after 21:45 Saturday 5 August, picking up a World Championship bronze.

Bolt’s Victory Lap begins in Brixton – home to one of largest Jamaican communities in England – and saw him projected onto the Electric Brixton, where he was poised, ready to begin his race.

As Bolt set off on his lightning-fast journey, he raced from Brixton Recreation Centre, under Brixton Rail Bridge through to Cold Harbour Lane. He then sprinted through the Southbank with the world famous Tower Bridge as a backdrop and across the front of the iconic Tate Modern. The film shows him crossing the river past Embankment Underground Station, where he made his way to East London, towards Brick Lane, which marks the location where he DJ’d after his gold medal winning success at London 2012.

Bolt then headed back to the West End, where he was projected dancing above clubs in Soho, where he famously celebrated his 30th birthday last August.

The video culminated with Bolt finishing his victory lap at City Hall with an epic shot of the London skyline, where the hashtag #ARunningLegend was projected onto the building to close the film.

Kerris Bright, Chief Marketing Officer at Virgin Media, said: “The fastest man on the planet goes hand in hand with the fastest broadband and Usain is super-fast and super entertaining; the perfect embodiment of Virgin Media. Beaming Bolt’s epic ultrafast victory lap is a unique and fitting way to mark his last ever 100m final and celebrates our long and continued association.  Usain Bolt is a true running legend.”

Adam Azur, Managing Director at CURB, added: “When it comes to honouring Usain Bolt, you can’t do anything less than extraordinary. CURB wanted to celebrate his relationship with London by telling a story that was delivered using the latest projection technology and which allowed the great man to run London one last time.”

CURB creates extra-ordinary consumer experiences built around innovation and disruptive value creation. As part of CSM Live, CURB’s pushes the boundaries of how technology, science, people and space can be integrated to help clients bring big ideas to life. Founded in 2008, its unique approach to out-of-home media innovation, online/offline content creation and consumer experience has delivered over 200 media firsts for clients worldwide.

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Creative technology and innovation agency CURB has appointed Adam Azor as Managing Director.

Azor (right of picture) joins CURB from Jack Morton Worldwide where he was Senior Vice President, Integrated and Digital Marketing. Prior to Jack Morton he was Head of Brand Experience at creative agency BMB.

He will take on the leadership of CURB, working closely alongside Anthony Ganjou, CURB’s CEO and founder (left of picture) and has been tasked with driving growth for the agency and its clients by focusing on technology and innovation in brand experience.

CURB, one of the most awarded creative technology and innovation agencies in the UK, works with leading brands including Virgin Media, Sony and Nissan and was recently acquired by CSM Live, part of the Chime Group. Since the acquisition, CSM Live has made substantial investment in CURB, with the recruitment of Azor the latest example of its commitment to support the growth of the agency.

Adam Azor, Managing Director of CURB, says, “I’ve had an envious eye on CURB for many years; their extraordinary work demonstrates what is possible when the power of brand experience meets true innovation and technology. The standalone desktop digital age is dead but we’re at the dawn of something much more exciting and important, a real world that brands can harness digitally. Now with the added backing and global reach of CSM Live, the potential for growth at CURB is huge. I can’t wait to get started.”

He began his career as co-founder of marketing agency Incognito in 1997 and went on to lead accounts at agencies including BD Network, Claydon Heeley and Mediator Communications. During his 20 years in the industry he has worked with many top brands including Coca Cola, Sony, Carling, Microsoft, Corona, Dairylea, Cineworld and BBC Children in Need.

Adam is also a prolific industry speaker, writer, and awards judge. In January 2017, he was elected to the board of UK marketing industry trade body, the Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM).

Anthony Ganjou, CEO, CURB, says: “Adam is joining us at an extraordinarily exciting time in the company’s history. We are rapidly expanding globally and also bringing our expertise in innovation and technology to the blue-chip network of CSM clients and partners. Our goal is to be a top 5 brand experience agency in the UK within three years.”

CURB was founded in 2008 with the aim of pushing the boundaries of how technology, science, people, and space can be integrated to help clients bring big ideas to life and drive Out Of Home (OOH) media innovation, online/offline content creation and consumer experience. The company has delivered over 200 media firsts for clients worldwide working with both agencies and brands.

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Britvic has collaborated with M/Six and Kinetic, global leader in planning and buying out-of-home (OOH) media, for a Robinson’s campaign to transform the area around Waterloo station into a tennis-themed display to mark the upcoming Wimbledon tournament.

The campaign, reminiscent of Robinson’s 1988 ‘Anything else just isn’t tennis’ advertisement, is running until July 18. The ads will be displayed across Primesight’s Waterloo domination sites and will include a special-build installation devised by Kinetic Active, featuring a replica tennis net and a line machine previously used at Wimbledon. The mini replica was designed by integrated agency iris.

It is understood that there will also be sampling and experiential activity in and around the station.

Wimbledon first partnered with Robinson’s 80 years ago, launching its iconic Lemon Barley Water at the 1935 championships. Since then, Robinson’s has become synonymous with what is one of the most iconic British sporting events, with 2016 marking the launch of new squash’d flavours.

Sarah Norcup, Creative Development Executive at Kinetic, said: “Working with Robinson’s provided us with the opportunity to create a memorable campaign, celebrating one of our nation’s most loved sports. It’s always exciting when we work with a heritage brand like Robinson’s, as the scope to fuse heritage with cutting edge creative advances creates the groundwork for a truly unique OOH experience.”

Nadine Campbell, Business Director at M/Six said: “This year we wanted to really amplify Britvic’s sponsorship for Wimbledon, with a significant, dramatic OOH presence. So we worked closely with Kinetic to create the Waterloo Domination campaign, delivering real impact and awareness, in one of London’s busiest commuter routes. The highlight of this is definitely our largest billboard, outside the station entrance, which is a mini replica of a Wimbledon pitch, designed by iris.”

Toby Fairlamb, Account Director, Primesight, commented: “We see Waterloo as the gateway for supporters to get to and from the famous tennis tournament and the Domination is the perfect platform to engage fans. According to Route, the Domination delivers over 9 million impacts across a two week period and we are sure that the first ever special build on this unavoidable site will generate even greater levels of impact and interest from consumers.”

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