Branding a School-Based Campaign Combining Healthy Eating and Eco-friendliness

Abstract

Objective: To develop a branding strategy for a campaign to improve the quality of foods children bring from home to school, using a combined healthy eating and eco-friendly approach and for a control campaign focusing solely on nutrition.

Methods: Formative research was conducted with third- and fourth-grade students in lower- and middle-income schools in Greater Boston and their parents. Phase I included concept development focus groups. Phase II included concept testing focus groups. A thematic analysis approach was used to identify key themes.

Results: In phase I, the combined nutrition and eco-friendly messages resonated; child preference emerged as a key factor affecting food from home. In phase II, key themes included fun with food and an element of mystery. Themes were translated into a concept featuring food face characters.

Conclusions and implications: Iterative formative research provided information necessary to create a brand that appealed to a specified target audience.

Keywords: branding; child nutrition; focus groups; formative research; nutrition communication.