Best Use of TV: Runner-up
Best Plan for a Budget of Less Than $1 Million: Honourable Mention
Agency/Media Company: OMD Canada
Client: Dairy Farmers of Ontario
Team: Aileen Grant, vice-president, group media director; Marianne Lawless, account director
Timing: February-Sept. 1998
The Background
The objectives of the initiative were to increase the use of milk and dairy products, and to promote good nutrition among school-age children by teaching them about healthy eating habits.
The challenge was to create a fun and involving commercial for children that would promote good eating habits, using a non-commercial television station: TVOntario.
The Plan
The strategy had three components.
Nutritional vignettes: Working closely with the nutritionist from Dairy Farmers of Ontario, TVO created a series of 45- to 90-second nutrition tip presentations by ‘The Bod Squad.’
‘The Bod Squad,’ a comical take on the 1960s cop show The Mod Squad, featured the three popular TVO Kids hosts: Patty, Joe and Rekha. Dressed in ‘funky’ outfits, they dispensed advice about healthy eating. The stand-alone spots, which included original music compositions, were filmed in Ontario school cafeterias and grocery stores. TVO broadcast the ‘Bod Squad’ nutrition tips during its children’s programming blocks ‘The Crawlspace’ and ‘The Nook.’
February Food Fun Frenzy: In order to launch ‘The Bod Squad,’ a healthy eating campaign was directed to children during the month of February. The campaign included food trivia contests, and the Food Wheel Game, which gave kids the chance to phone in with answers to questions on diet, food groups and food choice.
Nutrition Posters: 65,000 copies of the 11 by 17 inch ‘Eat Right with TVO’ poster were distributed to classrooms across the province, and handed out at TVO’s annual open house.
The Results
The initiative solidified the client’s relationship with TVO viewers, and its status as a participant in the TVO open house.
In all, February Food Fun Frenzy attracted 26,000 calls to TVO to participate.
The ‘Bod Squad’ spots generated a large volume of letters and e-mails. ‘The Bod Squad’ is now a regular part of the kids programming on TVO. In the course of 1998, 16 additional vignettes were produced, and are now running on a 52-week basis throughout the children’s block.
Also in this report:
– Y&R nabs top media spot with refreshing plan for Kool-Aid p.B2
– The Winners p.B2
– Kool-Aid brings smile to Moms everywhere: Targeted family environments in unusual ways to communicate fun, refreshment p.B4
– Q-tips ‘invasion’ helps get brand noticed p.B4
– Desjardins buries ad in radio newscast: Integration of client message deemed ‘seamless’
– BMO leverages on-air news environment p.B8
– Molson brews up timely Canadian message p.B9
– MACH3 launches with communications ‘explosion’: Goal was to reach consumers at all times throughout the launch day p.B11
– Dentyne Ice asks young people to Kiss & Tell: Online contest supported dating imagery p.B13
– Shake ‘N Bake cooks up versatility message p.B16
– Zoom bolsters standing with trade campaign p.B18
– Beetle drives sales with aggressive launch p.B19
– Labatt Ice takes dark and sexy message to the streets p.B20
– Alpha-Bits effort spells success: ‘Alpha’ character central to school program promoting literacy p.B23
– The Judges p.B26
