Tangible Health Education Advertising
Putting Activity Into Action.
Recently, I wrote about “meeting people where they are” when it comes to marketing campaigns. That assertion came not just from professional knowledge but from firsthand experience. On a recent trip to Walt Disney World, I was washing my hands at Epcot Center when I noticed an interesting integrated advertising tactic. Brawny, the tough paper towel company, had placed tips on how to wash your hands as a sign above the sinks at Epcot Center (See info on the company at http://www.brawnytowels.com). This type of in-your-face tactic, though not new, I see in magazines before seeing it on the street. What a cool idea…something useful, but reinforcing the brand.
Other smart examples of this exist, and they’re being supported by national foundations and federal/state government agencies. Though they’re not new, here are two:
Fruits & Veggies: More Matters Campaign from the Produce for Better Health Foundation at http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/
Even here in St. Louis, my clear plastic produce bags have the green “Fruits & Veggies: More Matters” logo in a conspicuous place, along with the posters, placed right in the middle of the red peppers or on the plums’ pricing board! The message lives where I – and others – shop. It’s a logo and a message that reinforces healthy food-shopping behaviors.
VERB – YELLOWBALL from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Tween Campaign at http://www.cdc.gov/youthcampaign/marketing/tween/index.htm
Kids are encouraged to make up games using their “yellowball,” which is basically a branded version of the small, softer kickballs or foam handballs we’ve all owned at sometime in our young lives. This encourages active, creative play in children. Games all ready-to-go are downloadable online for home play, or use in community centers and schools. An awards program has been set up to keep participation high. How many of us have done this as “unsanctioned” play by ourselves in the backyard? This creates a virtual and live community of kids making up and sharing games. This enables healthy recreation and exercise.
As you continue to think of new, creative ways to reach your audiences, think of how tangible objects and useful tips could turn into everyday messages. Think about where people will be going, what they will be doing and what you can do to remind them to engage in healthy and reinvigorating actions. After all, (to take a Yogi Berra moment), a message that disappears is no longer there.
Contributor: Amanda Wagoner
