NEW YORK, NY - "PREPARE TO BE MARKETED TO." This is how celebrities Jessica Alba, 49ers Quarterback Colin Kapernick, and Golden State Warriors Point Stephen Curry are teasing their new fruit and vegetable campaign, FNV.
Aiming to give produce the star treatment, the campaign will be marketing produce more like its big-brand counterparts, such as Nike and Apple.
The campaign, announced by the Partnership for a Healthier America, was created in conjunction with First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative to get families to eat better and exercise. The push is being called "FNV," as a new, cool way to refer to "fruits and vegetables."
"We were inspired by the big brands and, can we do what they're able to do?" said Lawrence Soler, CEO of the Partnership for a Healthier America in an Associated Press article.
The campaign will start primarily on social media networks like Twitter, posting short videos featuring Jessica Alba and NFL quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton. Additional videos will be released in coming days starring Curry, New York Giant Victor Cruz, actress Kristen Bell, and others.
A teaser video for the broader campaign is also being posted on FNV's website Thursday. The spot features stars with fruits and vegetables and is set to catchy music, with the words "PREPARE TO BE MARKETED TO" flashing on the screen near the end. According to the Associated Press, come spring, a full marketing push including TV and print ads is slated to hit both the Fresno, California, and Hampton Roads, Virginia markets.
To see the teaser, watch the video below...
The campaign for FNV was created by the Boulder, Colorado-based ad agency Victors & Spoils, which lists clients including Coca-Cola and General Mills on its website. Andrew Nathan, Chief Marketing Officer for Victors & Spoils, noted that fruits and vegetables are already attractive subjects due to their vibrant colors and interesting flavors. The only thing they lack is the "marketing pixie dust" that makes packaged foods so irresistible, he said in a press release.
"Obviously, our inspiration for all this was behaving like a big, iconic brand," Nathan continued, citing Nike and Apple as examples.
Organizations providing support for FNV include Produce Marketing Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
and Jessica Alba’s own Honest Company, which makes baby and home products.
Without providing details, the Partnership for a Healthier America said FNV is already a "multimillion-dollar" campaign and will continue raising funds. Still, it's up against the considerable resources of big food marketers, according to a press release.
Michael Jacobson, Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C., said an advertising campaign for fruits and vegetables could be powerful in influencing eating decisions, but that its effectiveness would depend on how much support it gets and how persistent it is.
"A lot of money for one day won't do anything," Jacobson said.
Will Jessica Alba be powerful enough to change the eating tides in favor of fresh produce? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for continued updates on this star-filled campaign.
