In an attempt to increase health consciousness in the province, the Government of New Brunswick has launched a campaign called ‘Good News for a Change.’

Highlighting positive stories about healthy living, the bilingual effort, developed and executed by Sackville, N.B.-based agency SGCI, enlists moms to combat the health crisis facing Atlantic Canada.

The campaign, which runs through March, spreads the word on wellness with 10 television spots depicting kid news announcers who break stories like ‘Boy eats new vegetable and survives.’

‘We wanted to develop a breaking news spot so people understood that [unhealthy living] is a crisis in New Brunswick,’ explains Trevor Fury, director of operations at SGCI. ‘The news is delivered by the kids, but it’s targeted to the parents because they’re the decision makers.’

Websites in English (goodnewsforachange.ca) and French (enfindebonnesnouvelles.ca) let visitors post their healthy-living stories and get tips on wellness. ‘Good News for a Change’ also incorporates ‘Random Acts of Wellness,’ an event-marketing portion that SGCI developed with Montreal-based Newad. The guerrilla segment, which runs across the province, involves a tactical squad called ‘the wellness team’ that invites consumers to share stories about their own efforts to stay healthy.

Participants are entered into a contest for a healthy food makeover and $5,000 worth of McCain foods. The team also hands out bookmarks and electronic calorie-counting skipping ropes.