Yes, advertising can sell broccoli!

12/16/10

In an effort to prove that television advertising does indeed work, The Television Bureau of Canada has proven our thesis that advertising can be used to increase consumption of healthy foods. Specifically, three spots they created and ran on television led to an 8% increase in broccoli sales. That’s 188,574 pounds. (Corr, 2010)

Here are the spots that did the trick if you want to check them out. I think we can all agree that they are not award winners. Yet, they worked. So perhaps they should be.

http://eater.com/archives/2010/10/01/broccoli-commercials-an-advertising-experiment-boost-sales-8.php

Let’s hope the folks in the U.S. healthcare sphere have taken note and are budgeting for their own future efforts. Obesity shortens life spans and increases healthcare costs. It’s time we used all the tools we have to fight this important battle. Don’t you agree?

Corr, A. (2010, December 13) Can TV Ads Really Sell Anything? Ask Broccoli. mediapost.com. Retrieved December 16, 2010, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=141233