“Let’s Pick a Fight With Kale”

  • Post published:11/04/2013
  • Post comments:3 Comments
Kale in the garden

“Let’s pick a fight with kale,” Chris Cima, creative director at Victors & Spoils advertising agency said. The upshot, reported in the NYTimes Sunday Magazine yesterday is a PR campaign to get people to CHOOSE to eat broccoli – and lots of  other vegetables.

This a a great article with lots of depressing 2010 statistics:  “diet surpassed smoking as the no.1 risk factor for disease and death in America  . . . One is three children is on track to develop diabetes, joining one  in three adults who are already clinically obese” and etc.  etc. etc. But why?  Lots of reasons including that vegetables have a bad rep, while processed and junk foods gets a lot of really good advertising.

Broccoli

At the NYTimes’ behest Victors & Spoils put together an ad campaign (pro bono)  that would make people WANT to eat vegetables.

“What Came First: Kale or the Bandwagon   Eat fad-free.  Broccoli vs kale.  Google it.

“Since When Do Super Foods Have To Be Super Trendy?   Broccoli vs kale.  Google it.”

When the ad campaign that had Pepsi and Coke in a battle, both drinks got more customers.  Can a campaign like this bring more mothers and children to the produce counter? Will the vegetable farmers of America be able to launch it?

Eating fresh fruits and vegetables will lower disease risks. We used to know this. An apple a day keeps the doctor away and all that. Eaten any broccoli lately?  I have a granddaughter who subsisted on broccoli and rice for years. Really!  She is very healthy, but now she eats a few other vegetables as well. No meat though!

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. I hope it works, but I’m doubtful. Unfortunately, most people wait until they get dire health news to change their diet.

  2. Pat

    GHG – You are probably right, but maybe if V&S weren’t the only people trying the pr route, and the article said there are other efforts, maybe some improvement can be made. I hope SOMETHING causes improvement.

  3. Rose

    Your kale is beautiful, Pat! I grow it as much for its ornamental value as for its nutritional value. My daughter has worked on several research projects in the last two years concerning kids’ nutrition. Sometimes clever activities do get kids to try things they normally wouldn’t.

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