For 20 years the Simpsons have graced the world’s television sets as hot dog-inhaling, donut-slamming, beer-swilling symbols of the all-American junk food diet. Now the UK’s Department of Health (DoH, Get it?), plans to use everyone’s favorite dysfunctional family for an advertising campaign to fight obesity.
Can anyone say indoctrination?
The British government just announced a £640,000 ($1 million) budget to sponsor episodes of the hit TV show The Simpsons for its Change4Life campaign. Before each episode, an advertisement will show knock-off cartoon characters pretending to be the Simpsons sitting on the couch, watching TV with pizza, ice cream and chips laid out in front of them. Suddenly, the junk food disappears and is replaced with healthy fruits and vegetables.
“The Simpsons are a much-loved, close-knit family facing some of the everyday challenges that modern-day families go through,” said England’s Public Health Minister Gillian Merron in a statement. “Whilst they certainly make some questionable choices about how they go about things, they provide a popular and engaging way to get the message to real-life families about simple ways of improving their diet and activity for a healthier lifestyle.”
Launched in January 2009, Change4Life is best known for its claymation ads. The most recent ad campaign – for which the British government drew massive criticism – was a highly controversial media blitz aimed at separating video gamers from their joysticks. With wintertime the traditional face-stuffing season for TV addicts and couch potatoes, the timing couldn’t be better for the Department of Health’s new Simpsons initiative.
Aptly dubbed, “Supporting the Simpsons: Sometimes,” the new campaign will run until Christmas.
Photo courtesy USPS.
