• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, August 19, 2008

In the grand scheme of fruitvertising, (not that I'm thrilled with the concept), I've always wondered why bananas were selected as the test fruit. Bananas are small in comparison to many fruits, and most fruits are already affixed with stickers, so I'm guessing it had something to do with bananas being a popular, accessible year-round fruit.

Watermelons seemed to be a good choice because the canvas to work with is a substantial one. Only drawback is, they're seasonal.

Sundia Corporation, producers of 35% of the U.S. watermelon supply, is transforming its watermelons into billboards this month, with SC Johnson's Ziploc brand stepping up as the advertiser.

Ads will appear on watermelons in the Midwest and Southeast; the lone sticker is a combination of the Sundia logo on top and a coupon for $1.50 off the purchase of Ziploc containers on the bottom. The sticker is large, but in comparison to the size of the watermelons, it's similar in size to the stickers found on bananas. Thankfully, there's a tie-in between the brand advertising and its canvas.

Gear Seven Communications printed the ads and collaborated with Boxtop Media in New York and SC Johnson's ad agency, Ryan Partnerships in Chicago, on the project.