Campaign Keeps Colorado Fit, From "Success Stories"
By Jen Zorger
January, 2010
Colorado residents rank as the nation’s leanest, and they’re not resting on their laurels. “The fact that nearly 19% of adults in our state are obese is cause for concern,” says Maren Stewart, president and CEO of LiveWell Colorado, a nonprofit committed to reducing obesity by inspiring healthy eating and active living.
The organization kicked off a campaign on September 30th with flash mobs in three cities doing aerobics in 1980s-inspired workout gear. (View video at www.livewellcolorado.org/challenge.)
Since then, billboards and TV commercials have urged residents to eat right and be more active. Naturally, the campaign also includes ad specialties. LiveWell distributed stencils of its logo and spray chalk to groups in 25 communities across the state, where local organizers are using them as they draw hopscotch courts and start/finish lines for footraces. The local groups also got stickers to place on elevator buttons. The stickers read, “Take the stairs.”
“The elevator buttons are just a perfect example of an easy, small, free way of incorporating a little bit of physical activity in your life by taking the stairs up a flight or two as opposed to the elevator,” Stewart says. “Hopscotch is a game everyone remembers how to play, and it’s something fun and whimsical that will hopefully grab people’s attention.”
The idea behind the campaign is not to try to talk people into onerous workouts but to incorporate little activities that are easy to sustain. “I’m hoping that it will catch people off-guard, because they are unexpected tactics,” Stewart says.
BIZ TIP The play’s the thing
A playful promotional idea like the hopscotch stenciling used by LiveWell Colorado is a great way to engage people with your brand. Here are a few more fun generators:
- Traditional childhood toys, like Hula Hoops, yo-yos, pocket Etch-A-Sketch, etc.
- Executive toys, like a Newton’s cradle, Rubik’s cube, magnetic sculpture, desktop golf or a decision-maker wheel.
