Buy Walking VideosIntermountain Healthcare Doesn’t Get It
Around here, these billboards have been popping up everywhere. They don’t really make any sense. There is another one about not succumbing to the creme filling. I snapped a photo of the billboard in order to find out what they are about. The website is a little more clear:
With these horribly designed and obtuse billboards, Intermountain Healthcare (a local health insurance provider) is trying to convince children to get healthy.
Sorry folks, digital captivity isn’t what’s making our kids fat.
They threw up “8 Healthy Habits” that are supposed to help kids get healthy:
- Always eat breakfast and make it healthy.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Limit or eliminate sweetened drinks.
- Limit screen time.
- Increase physical activity.
- Eat meals together as a family.
- Be positive about food.
- Don’t criticize about weight.
In essence, I don’t really have an argument with what they are suggesting, but their advertising tells a different story than their actual recommendations. When you watch their TV spots on their website, it looks like Intermountain is blaming potato chips, television and video games for obesity, yet they haven’t shown one obese kid in their ads. In fact, these Steve Madden rip-off billboard characters look strangely thin with sunken in eyes and jutting cheekbones. Should painfully thin kids lay off the video games as well?
In the end , it seems that Intermountain Healthcare is sick of paying for health claims that deal with obesity, so it looks like they are trying to stop the problem early. Unfortunately, preventative care isn’t something you can just throw up a few billboards and cure. It’s an entire philosophy, not a bandaid.
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May 16th, 2007 at 11:50 am
While I agree TV and video games are a major problem with children’s lack of activity which is why I love exer-gaming. I do not agree with intermountain’s images on the boards that promote eating disorder.
May 18th, 2007 at 6:14 am
I get it. There is more to digital capitivity than computer games. There is more to it than coach potato enhancement leading to poor health. It causes accidents (how many times have you seen people talking or texting on cell phones and losing focus on driving?), it affects relationships and leads to poor ettiquette. Digital captivity also includes cell phones, text messaging, PDA’s, Instant Message, Facebook, and MySpaceto name a few. Two things. I have a 17 yr old who sent and recieved over 3000 text messages during one-month (and I’ve heard stories that 3000 is nothing!). We’ve taken action on this. Second, I work with a lot of adult clients who instantly respond to Blackberry (there is a reason they call them Crackberry!) and cell phone calls. They think nothing of getting up and walking out of meetings to respond to calls. How many times have you been sitting in a restuarant and someone’s cell went off and they remained at the table and answered it? During a one-hour meeting yesterday, the gentleman next to me answered five “Crackberry” emails. He was not fully engaged in our meeting, thus we did not get a full participant. Which is more important – being there for who ever emails your “Crackberry” or the people who’ve come together to meet and solve problems?
June 7th, 2007 at 7:36 am
I couldn’t figure out the billboards either. I still have no idea what the “cream” billboard is.
Who hired the illustrator? Are they smoking something?
Talk about a poor form/function ratio!