As a novel way to combat the widespread use of unhealthy food advertising in the gaming world, Knorr has embarked on an awareness campaign that highlights the advantages of eating vegetables. The company, which is a subsidiary of Unilever known for its wide selection of boulillon cubes, dehydrated soups and other condiments, is aiming to combat the promotion of food items and fast foods which are prevalent in games with a large number of players.

The campaign, codenamed ‘#ModTheVeg is a bid to engage players by altering in-game elements in order to highlight vegetables. This method involves changing aspects of games, like the designs of weapons, and even power-ups in order to include vegetables such as broccoli and carrots, thus creating a positive image of the consumption of vegetables. This campaign led to the development of 14 mods for different games, such as Fortnite as well as Grand Theft Auto, supported with an online movie as well as social media-related activities.

Collaboration was the key factor in the success of the campaign, with MullenLowe overseeing an agency-wide team that included The Invaders developing insights and mods, influencer partnership management by ITB PR, ITB managing influencer partnerships Weber Shandwick, and media strategies developed by Mindshare. The reach of the campaign was global, extending to 22 different countries, which required the coordination of all parties to ensure that the campaign’s message resonated across all markets.

Engaging with gamers is further enhanced through partnerships with gaming celebrities such as Richard Tyler Blevins, known as Ninja who has earned gained a large following on sites such as YouTube as well as Twitch. This campaign also featured an appeal to game developers to promote the advantages of consuming vegetables in their games. The petition attracted more than 21,000 signatories.

In spite of some issues, such as the necessity to reverse modifications after publishers were aware of the changes that were not official “#ModTheVeg” has gained notable visibility. It has amassed 19 million viewers of the main promo film and more than 850 press releases as well as a significant rise in awareness of the brand and a connection with gaming. This initiative demonstrates Knorr’s dedication to promote healthier eating choices in the gaming world.

Source: Creative Salon