No, I’m not referring to the bananas you’ll find in the grocery store, but the kind you’ll see on a baseball diamond! Have you tried to catch a Savannah Bananas™ ballgame recently? I have, and that experience is what prompted me — in part, anyway — to write about them. Let’s face it, Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas, hasn’t just built a baseball team. He has created a cultural phenomenon. From what I’ve seen and read, his approach in doing so was driven by a singular thought that reimagined everything about the traditional baseball experience. After all, when we think of baseball and baseball teams, we rarely think of masterful marketing or any kind of breakthrough experience. But Cole’s Savannah Bananas have flipped that script using bold and creative, totally non-risk-averse thinking; a fan-first philosophy; and a community focus that any business can learn from, including community banks. “Imagine what the best possible fan experience is and do that. Don’t settle for the way things have been done before.”1 — Jesse Cole, Owner, Savannah Bananas 8 Reasons Why Banks Should Go Bananas Neal Reynolds, President BankMarketingCenter.com 22 NEBRASKA BANKER
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