safefood Launch 5-Year Public Awareness Initiative, START

Today, safefood, HSE and partners launch the START campaign, created by award-winning agency Target McConnells. Maintaining a healthy weight for children is a major health challenge on the Island of Ireland and this campaign is the first in a five-year public awareness initiative aimed at addressing this public health issue. 

The campaign was developed using a co-creation approach which involved working with parents to ensure the campaign is relevant and realistic. Target McConnells’ Strategic Planning Director, Dr. Kenneth McKenzie says, “We started by talking to parents around the island of Ireland to get insight into the daily challenges they face. These conversations shaped the entire strategy and the creative approach from the tone of the campaign to the final scripts for the ads. All the scenarios we filmed for TV and out of home and recorded for radio are based on insights gleaned from the many conversations we had with parents.”

A key focus for the agency was to give a realistic version of parenting in the campaign. Kenneth explains, “We’ve all seen the white-washed version of parents and families often peddled in ads. That’s exactly what we didn’t want to do with this campaign. Parenting is messy at the best of times and we wanted to reflect this in the campaign, to give a realistic window into family life. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about trying to get that one daily win. We want to encourage and support parents to persist no matter how often life intervenes to derail them.”

safefood Director of Communications and Marketing Fiona Gilligan says: “The START campaign seeks to help families take that first step towards a healthier lifestyle for their children. Through the consumer campaign we hope to reflect the real lives of parents, while inspiring, supporting and empowering them to make a start. The advertising is built to start those conversations and our social tools will allow conversations to continue among parents so their own insights and tips can be shared. There is no easy answer, we recognise that parenting is tough but we're calling on parents to be tougher. This campaign is a key initiative for safefood, HSE and partners over the next five years. The wider aim of the campaign with partners is to ensure that parents receive consistent information, support and encouragement across the health services, schools and in community settings. 

The three week launch campaign for Start includes TV, OOH, video on demand, Radio and Digital.