The Amazing Truths About Last Night’s Dinner
Everybody knows fruits and veggies are good for them. Here are some facts about what they don’t do:
“Less than 10% of Singaporeans eat the daily requirement of fruits and vegetables.”
“Most Singaporeans do not know how much fruits and veggies should go into their daily meals: 2 servings of fruits and 2 servings of veggies.”
“50% of Singaporeans say ‘I’m too busy to cook or plan my meals, and eat whatever is quick and easy’.” - Source: 2008 Synovate and other surveys
It takes more than a glorious food campaign to get Singaporeans to consume sufficient fruits and veggies. Sure any food campaign has to look good, but it must impress on Singaporeans the need to eat enough fruits and veggies, and uncover the “windows of opportunities” that fit them into the lifestyles of time-rushed Singaporeans.
This is a war that has to be waged not just at home, but in the food courts, the hawkers centres and the supermarts. Even on the way to work, over desserts and over TV snack time. It helps if you have a few allies – those moments where fruits and veggies can fit into people’s hunger patterns – with some serving suggestions, along the day.
A Key Fallacy
For many Singaporeans, particularly the lower-educated, the way they talk about fruits and veggies is revealing: “But I already eat the veggies that go into my mee-pok”. If you look at the staple blue-collar diet – the infamous “economy rice” - it’s startling to see curry, meats, fried food but few real vegetables.
The truth is, it doesn’t add up. A key problem is the issue of dosage. Singaporeans do not know or remember the simple dietary advice: “2 servings of fruits + 2 servings of veggies daily”.
Convenience for a Fast-Food Nation
The most popular fruits and vegetables are those that are most convenient to eat.
Americans consume more bananas than any other fresh fruit because they are easy to eat; that in a country with no banana trees. 86% of orange consumption in the States is taken in the form of easy-to-drink orange juice. Unfortunately, potatoes are consumed mostly as French fries and tomatoes are consumed in their canned form. The moral of the story: Make it easy and people will bite.
When you think about it, fruits and vegetables are the original fast foods. A banana on the way to work, some carrots before the main course, or an apple snack while watching TV. Beyond talking up the virtues of fruits and veggies, we must get to activation points – all in a day in the life of an average Singaporean.
How can we inject new healthy habits into the average Singaporean daily diet?
Three Campaign Dimensions
DDB has a campaign to make fruits and vegetables top-of-mind and easy to consume:
- It begins with taste
The way to a man’s heart is actually through his eyes, and then his mind. We have to make fruits and vegetables look mouthwateringly good. Take a page from the glorious food photography of Sainsbury’s and the Marigold. But just as important, we need to show the emotional goodness of fruits and veggies. It’s not just dietary fibre but mental energy, a health oxidant or even skin therapy.
2 Fruits + 2 Veggies Print Ads
Radio Ad Transcript
- It’s about dosage
Singaporeans don’t have an issue with fruits and veggies, they just don’t consume enough of them. And if repetition makes a reputation, it is absolutely essential to make it memorable for heartlanders, that “2+2” is what they need. In fact, stick that in people’s minds, at the supermarts, at the food courts – even make it fun and engaging. We should make this the golden number of the year.
Food court stickers
Shopping cart benefits
2+2 benefits game and jackpot kiosks at hawker centres and food courts
- It’s about OTC: Opportunities to Consume
We’re not into prescriptive medication but over-the-counter fare. This isn’t about an esoteric fusion food campaign for the rich and famous: poached pears and spinach ravioli that would require the genius of Jamie Oliver. It’s about simple habits that fit more fruits and veggies into people’s lifestyles. For example:- Pick up a fruit on-the-go, or on-the-way to work
- At meal times: eat fruits and vegetables first
- Snack on fruits and vegetables instead of ‘unhealthy’ foods
- Have fruits as dessert
Sin Hoi San recipe
We’ve coined it the “Four habits of healthy, happy people”. In fact, we could even make it a comic-strip booklet for the masses.
SPEAR in action
Ultimately we must promote activation and participation, not just passive communication. We have a few interesting highlights in our proposal: interactive food kiosks at food courts to engage Singaporeans into “2+2”, a Workforce Olympics programme that addresses eating and exercise, partnerships with supermarts and food courts and an online educational game that tells you “What’s on your plate?”
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Understanding changes everything. In this case, understanding the truths as seen by the mass of Singaporeans out there, helps us get to the key campaign message and the call-for-action. It’s looking vege, vege good.
