In his signature yellow tuxedo and top hat, Jesse Cole stormed onto stage at ASI Orlando on Friday, Jan. 5, to a packed audience of promo professionals clapping and cheering at his energetic entrance.

Jesse Cole, owner of the Savanah Bananas, gave out branded underwear during an energetic and interactive keynote at ASI Orlando.

The owner and founder of exhibition baseball team the Savannah Bananas shared the story behind launching the team, driving growth and building its rabidly loyal fanbase. Today, the Bananas are an undeniable baseball phenomenon, with more than 1 billion social media views and over half a million fans on a waiting list for tickets.

The team plays a unique brand of “banana ball” that includes choreographed player dances and modified rules to enliven America’s pastime. Each game starts with the designated “Banana Baby” – an actual infant in a banana costume – being lifted into the air to the opening music of the Lion King. There’s a breakdancing coach, a dancing umpire and two cheerleading teams: the Banana Nanas, a senior citizen dance squad, and the Man-Nanas, aka the “dad bod cheerleading squad.”

The appeal of such TikTok-tailored tactics seems a foregone conclusion, but Cole’s journey toward success was never a sure thing and included many big swings – and plenty of misses – along the way.

“To understand someone’s success, you need to know their setbacks,” Cole said. When he and his wife launched the Bananas with the goal of making baseball fun, they incurred $1.8 million of debt, selling only two tickets in their first three months. “We started marketing like everyone else, and we got results much worse than everyone else,” Cole added.

Things started to change when he embraced the philosophy of “whatever’s normal, do the exact opposite.” The branding lessons Cole learned along the way have plenty of application in the business world, and he developed his “five E” formula to help companies build a loyal fandom, rather than a customer base. “Customers come and go, it’s transactional,” he said. “Fans never leave.”

In a highly interactive keynote that included singalongs, dance competitions and a giveaway of “Dolce & Banana” branded underwear, Cole outlined the five E’s and how to achieve them.

1. Eliminate friction.

It’s critical, Cole said, to put yourself in your customers’ shoes and determine what their pain points are – then work to alleviate them. “That’s the starting point for all innovation,” he added. Cole noted that he began by looking at baseball at a macro level, and took people’s complaints that the sport was “too long, too slow and too boring” to heart.

“We’re not in the baseball business,” Cole said. “We’re in the entertainment business.”

In addition to rule changes and bringing spectacle to the sport, Cole changed ticketing and concessions – making everything one price, so attendees wouldn’t feel nickel-and-dimed by the experience. The Bananas also changed their hold music, voicemail message and invoice design to make them more memorable and fun.

He advised attendees to do a “friction audit” of their company because anytime there’s friction, “We’re losing a fan.”

2. Entertain always.

No matter your business, Cole said, it’s all about providing enjoyment and fun to the process. To make sure a Bananas game is a memorable experience, the team will do things like email a suggested playlist for driving to the stadium, employ “parking penguins” that hand out ice pops to children, and install urinal cakes branded with the rival team’s logo in the men’s rooms to make every part of the game experience enjoyable.

3. Experiment constantly.

Cole said early on he committed to coming up with 10 ideas a day – and in any given year, 2,800 of the 3,650 ideas end up being terrible. But even the bad ideas get people talking. “One idea can change the game for you,” Cole said. “If you’re not getting criticized, you’re playing it too safe.”

Given its fleeting nature, social media is a “great testing forum” for experimentation. Cole and his team made a commitment to post something every single day. An early video of an employee dressed up like Cupid and doing the Cupid Shuffle didn’t gain much traction, but the continued experimentation and consistent posting helped the team’s TikTok account gain 10 million followers in the past year alone, according to Cole.

4. Engage deeply.

“Do for one what you wish you could do for many,” Cole said. The Savannah Bananas take this advice to heart by delivering flowers to people in the stands celebrating milestones, or singling out fans who’ve engaged on social media and inviting them to games for unique opportunities – like dancing on the field with a player.

“If you know what’s important to people, take care of them,” Cole said.

5. Empower action.

During the keynote, Cole told the story of Reggie, a Savannah Bananas employee who called the team every single week for months to try to get a job. Once hired, his infectious positive attitude and energy led him to earn the title of “motivational coach,” and he gives the team pep talks before every single game.

“People think we empowered him,” Cole said. In reality, however, “Reggie empowers us.”

Cole’s message resonated with promo pros in the audience, rewarding him with a standing ovation.

“In today’s world, people need motivation,” said Don Sanders, of Don Sanders Marketing in Dallas, TX (asi/318050), who wore his trademark “cool sneakers” to the motivational keynote. “You’ve got to be different to be successful. I’ve been different since I was a kid and I’m known for my sneakers, just like the Banana guy. You see the yellow suit and you know who he is.”

Lynn Strange of Best Business Systems (asi/138560) in Bowling Green, KY, was also blown away by Cole’s energetic stage presence. Strange said she chose to attend ASI Orlando this year specifically so she could attend the keynote, and Cole didn’t disappoint.