Campaign of the Month: Public Health England
Government body encourages public to shed the pounds to stave off higher risk of becoming seriously ill with Covid-19
Public Health England (PHE) has launched a new campaign to encourage healthy lifestyle choices to tackle the nation’s obesity crisis.
Obesity has been found to put individuals at a greater risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid-19, with the new TV ad aimed at kick-starting a health revolution for the country.
A 45-second short, produced in partnership with creative agency M&C Saatchi, encourages people to lower their Body Mass Index (BMI) level to improve their health.
The short also features members of the BAME community, as they have been found to have both higher rates of obesity and of dying from Covid-19.
A tagline of ‘Better Health: Let’s Do This’, along with accompanying out-of-home, radio and social media campaigns, has been drawn up to shift the public opinion on obesity.
Sheila Mitchell, PHE marketing director, said: “This is a key moment for people to reset and make changes to improve their health. We’ve worked hard with all of our agencies to develop a campaign which is inspiring and motivational in tone but which also lands the health harms message of how being overweight or obese can increase your risk of serious illness, including Covid-19.
“The campaign showcases how a sophisticated blend of marketing disciplines, which all complement each other, can reach and rally a significant tranche of the general population to have, what we hope will be, a real lasting impact,” she added.
Camilla Kemp, M&C Saatchi CEO, said: “We’ve worked alongside PHE for over 10 years developing behaviour change campaigns that have improved the health of the nation, we’re looking forward to seeing the impact this new brand and work has in inspiring positive change.”