JKR

I work with brands, I have kids. Surely I should be quick to understand that the crowd sourced satire of the Change4Life identity is intended to highlight the potential evils of getting brands to fund it. The ads, such as those above, make it clear that brands are, y’know, really cynical. But having glanced at an article in Marketing, my first direction to learn more was not the originators (The Children’s Food Campaign). Instead, having only followed the story with half an eye, I assumed the online ads were actually feisty new work from Change4Life, rather than an attack upon them.

I will leave it to Mumsnet to judge who has the moral high ground in the debate over corporate involvement. But if you are going to criticise a brand or organisation, appropriating its imagery so faithfully risks scoring an own goal. All those BP logo parodies work because they are clearly adulterated images, but I think this campaign offers great free publicity for Change4Life, and supports their healthy message.

By the by, is having the Change4Life campaign brought to us by the nanny state any more virtuous than getting brands to foot the bill? Will brands really corrupt the message to crassly sell more sweeties? If you think so then you can add to The Children’s Food Campaign and write your own ad here. But below is my own attempt…