Cancer Council Victoria launches next phase of ‘Food Fight’ campaign via ICON to protect school kids from unhealthy food and drink ads

Cancer Council Victoria, in partnership with ICON, has launched the next phase of its bold Food Fight campaign, calling for government action to protect Victorian kids from pervasive unhealthy food and drink advertising while travelling to and from school.

With research showing that children are exposed to more than 25 unhealthy food advertisements daily, Food Fight seeks to highlight the impact of this marketing and call for government action to get it removed from public transport and within 500m of schools.

Building on the success of Food Fight’s first phase, which garnered support from more than 10,000 people and 40 health and community organisations, the new campaign utilises powerful visual and sound techniques with crystal-clear messaging demonstrating the need for further change.

The new creative features a schoolgirl waiting at a bus stop, where she is bombarded by light projections of unhealthy food and drink imagery, emphasising how relentless these ads can be for Victorian kids.

Kelly Dienaar, Head of Media and Communications, Prevention at Cancer Council Victoria, said, “Our kids should be free to travel to and from school without facing a barrage of ads for fast food, sugary drinks and other products that we know don’t support good health”

“We’re so proud to be rolling out the next phase of Food Fight, which is all about creating a healthier food environment for our kids and setting them up for the best start in life.”

Kate Griffiths, Director of Behaviour Change & Brand at ICON, stated, “Unhealthy food advertising is everywhere our children go. It’s time to prioritise our kids’ health over profits and push for change. The Food Fight campaign is about protecting the health of our kids, and encouraging the government to lead the charge in protecting our children.”

By visually portraying the overwhelming nature of these ads, the campaign invites viewers to join the fight against the processed food industry’s targeted marketing tactics.

Michael Knox, Executive Creative Director at ICON said, “We wanted to create something that was hard to ignore, and to show just how suffocating junk food ads can be for children. We also need to inspire the public to push for meaningful change.”

The Food Fight campaign will be rolled out through social media across a nine-week campaign, using a mix of 30-second and 6-second hero films.

Victorians are encouraged to visit cancervic.org.au/foodfight and join the thousands who have signed up to support Cancer Council Victoria’s campaign. Victorians can also deepen their support by writing an email to their MP, using their social media, and sharing their stories to help raise awareness about the damaging effects of unhealthy food and drink marketing on children.

Cancer Council Victoria
Kelly Dienaar, Head of Media and Communications, Prevention
Jane Martin, Head of Obesity Prevention
Claire Hardi, Healthy Lifestyles Campaign Coordinator
Lauren Zammit, Media & Communications Advisor, Prevention
Maddy Leigh, Marketing Manager, Prevention
Daniel Gamble, Digital Manager, Prevention
Gemma Muir, Senior Communications and Advocacy Advisor, Prevention
Vince Raffaut, Product Manager (Website)
Craig Sinclair, Head of Prevention
Belinda Morley, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer
Rebecca Godwin, Senior Research Officer, Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer
Richard Muntz, Creative Manager

ICON
Michael Knox, Executive Creative Director
Kate Griffiths, Director of Behaviour Change & Brand
Copywriter, Georgia Thomas
Art Director, Derek van der Hogan
Senior Designer, Chris Lewis
Head of Production, Sam Cairns
Array Productions
Grantley Smith, Director
Raylene O’Hare, Creative Producer