The Department of Health has been criticised for shunning direct and email marketing in its new Change4Life campaign, designed to fight the UK’s obesity epidemic, instead opting for TV, media partnerships and instore leaflets to get the message across.
An ad break takeover will launch the annual new year push during Coronation Street on ITV1 tonight (Monday).
In between two ads featuring the Change4Life animated family, ads from Asda, Quorn, Uncle Ben’s, the Co-Operative Food and Cravendale will carry Change4Life’s “Be Food Smart” sub-brand and offer advice on healthy meal options.
The slot is the centrepiece of the campaign which aims to encourage the public to think about the ‘hidden nasties’ in everyday foods so they can better manage the amount of salt, fat and sugar in their diets.
Once people have signed up online, they will have access to a range of healthy eating tools and information from recipes to money-off vouchers,
OgilvyOne recently picked up the combined £50m direct and digital business for the Government department but only those who sign up will receive this information and it will not be supported by mailings. A DoH spokeswoman confirmed that there are no plans to use direct mail and email.
The TV ad, by M&C Saatchi, will run throughout January and will be backed by promotions in Aldi, Co-op and Asda stores. Many of the partnerships have been secured by agency 23Red.
The DoH has also developed an app, to provide healthy meal ideas and offers including free Cravendale milk and money off Quorn products and Robinson’s Fruit Shoot My-5 for those signing up to the campaign.
Department of Health director of marketing Sheila Mitchell said: “This is first time ITV has teamed up with us for an ad takeover. We have worked closely with partner organisations including Asda fresh fish and Uncle Ben’s rice to highlight how easy it is to eat well on a budget.”
But one industry source said: “TV ads are all well and good but trying to change deep-rooted problems will take much more education. And no-one can dispute the power of direct mail to get across this sort of message. It’s not as if the Government doesn’t have the data; it’s a lost opportunity.”
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