Banana Parade Promotes Jamba Juice Kids’ Meals

To generate awareness and excitement for its new Jamba Kids Meals, the Jamba Juice smoothie chain on Jan. 4 marched 70 “bananas” through the streets of New York City. Jamba’s colorful Banana Man brand personifier led the procession followed by Strawberry Girl and other fruit troupers.

The group marched from Times Square to the Jamba Juice store in the Flatiron district of the city, distributing 500 Jamba-branded orange earmuffs along the way. At the parade’s end, the store hosted a kids’ fun and fitness zone with mini-basketball and the Banana Man-led “Fruit Smoothie Dance.” The brand also sponsored a kids’ nutrition press panel featuring Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders, Jamba Juice cmo Julie Washington and Jamba Healthy Living Council member and weight control expert Elizabeth Ward.

Before the parade Jamba Juice ceo James White rang the NASDAQ opening bell, followed by a fitness workout led by Olympian and former WNBA player and coach Teresa Edwards. The company also donated physical education equipment to four Harlem grade schools.

“We wanted to spread the word about the nutritional advantages of our meals, which have the highest whole fruit servings of any leading quick service restaurant kids meal,” Julie Washington, cmo at Jamba Juice, told Buzz. “The parade exuded fun and signaled to everyone who saw or heard about it that something new and exciting is happening at Jamba Juice.” Agency: Neighbor, Santa Monica, CA.