Re-branding a vital public health campaign to truly engage with its target audience.
Background
The Whitehouse team was appointed by the National Obesity Forum in 2013 to create and implement a public-facing health campaign, the purpose of which was to raise awareness of UK obesity levels and encourage the British population to improve their health.
Strategy & Outcomes
Whitehouse launched a JanUary campaign which has brought together partners including Heart Research UK, HENRY (Health Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young), Disney, Danone, Alpro and MyTime Active to fight obesity.
In aide of this campaign, the Whitehouse team created and implemented a competition for school pupils across the UK to encourage their healthy living and physical activity habits, the winners of which were hosted in a reception at 10 Downing Street, and introduced a parliamentary quiz on healthy eating contested by primary school pupils captained by their local MP. Whitehouse also scheduled the annual JanUary campaign as a means of encouraging members of the public, businesses, charities and political decision makers to commit to changes that would improve public health outcomes and has supported the drafting, publication and promotion of keynote reports from the National Obesity Forum during each JanUary campaign.
To date the JanUary campaign has secured more than 500 pieces of media coverage, including a national profile via front-page stories in The Times, Daily Mail and Metro. The campaign has also featured on BBC’s Newsnight, BBC Breakfast and Good Morning Britain. The campaign’s social media activity had a reach of more than 21 million people in one year alone.
National Obesity Awareness Week has been the biggest success in the history of the National Obesity Forum. We have been astounded at the level of attention it has gathered, and are enormously grateful for the Whitehouse Consultancy’s commitment, creativity and skill in making it possible. The week has established itself in the calendar and helped raise awareness of obesity in the UK to reflect its status as one of the major public health crises facing the country. We look forward to working with Whitehouse for National Obesity Awareness Week 2015
