Synopsis
ITV have brought back their ‘Eat Them To Defeat Them’ campaign, which is aimed at kids to get them to eat more veg. The campaign will feature six 10 second ads, all of which will have an item of wayward veg that a child has to bravely eat in order to defeat it.
One ad shows a carrot knocking over a glass of milk, while another shows peas becoming unruly and trying to escape their bowl. Each time their attempt to be mischievous is scuppered by a hero child.
Review
The idea behind these ads is great, and the tagline is catchy and definitely has an impact.
When trying to get children to eat more healthy foods, what better way to go about it than to show kids as the heroes. Saving the day is a fantasy most children have, but it usually comes in the form of protecting the world from some cackling baddie. This campaign however, takes the one thing kids are reluctant to eat – the dreaded V word – and shows them that eating the veg stops the carnage. Brilliant idea!
Each week of the campaign features a different veggie bad guy for the kids to defeat. A fantastic idea, and one that parents can get behind and continue to make into something fun at meal time.
After the apparent success of the first campaign, it’s good to see it return. However, we wouldn’t be doing our job properly if we didn’t comment on the comedy! Now, although the ads are great, they could have done so much more. They are advertising to children, for those children to become heroes, so if that doesn’t give licence to go OTT I don’t know what will.
The wrongdoings of the veg could have been bigger and bolder, too – giving the ‘hero’ a real baddie to deal with. Even when it comes to the child, once she eats the carrot, a puff of smoke and bam, she’s in a superhero mask.
Comedy will always help get a message across, and although these ads do exactly that, advertisers shouldn’t be afraid to go that extra step. Upping the takes makes the difference between a campaign that “works fine”, and a campaign that blows us away and is remembered for years to come.
Entry Submitted By
White Label Comedy
