British Heart Foundation turns tables on junk food ads

by Jennifer Whitehead, Brand Republic 16-Jan-08, 08:40

LONDON - The British Heart Foundation has said it is 'turning the tables on junk food marketers' with a new online campaign highlighting the high fat and sugar content of some of children's favourite foods and encouraging them to be more active.

The charity has launched a virtual world games website bhf.org.uk/food4thought, along with an advertising campaign that will include homepage takeovers and banners.

In the website, players can choose a character to navigate their way around city streets. Along the journey, they can watch films showing children trying to scoff hotdogs, while the raw ingredients used to make them go by on a conveyer belt; a boy is shown trying to eat 10 teaspoons of sugar in 30 seconds, showing how sugary a bottle of soft drink is.

There are also positive bits of advice, such as having breakfast to avoid mid-morning cravings, and walking instead of taking the bus for a few stops.

If they complete all 20 tasks in the game, players are in with a chance of winning a Nintendo Wii -- a games console that encourages activity rather than slothfulness.

Betty McBride, director of policy and communications at the BHF, said: "The internet is one of the major new battlegrounds where junk food manufacturers are fighting kids for control of their wallets.

"We are extremely concerned that junk food marketing messages are skewing children's idea of a normal diet. It's fun to turn the tables on junk food marketers by using their own techniques to educate and empower children to make more informed food choices."

As part of the campaign, the BHF will also be calling for the government to ban all junk food marketing that targets children, including on food and drink packaging, and online. It is preparing to launch a website for parents called Don't Target Me, where they can sign a petition.

Broadcasters and advertisers maintain that a ban on junk food will not be an effective weapon in fighting childhood obesity; and that the onus is on parents and guardians to help children eat healthier food and be more active.

The campaign was created by Avenue A /Razorfish. It is the first time that the BHF has used a web-only campaign, which was seen as the best way of reaching the target market of 11- to 13-year-olds.