Billboards can be bland, not intriguing and inapplicable, but recently a new billboard on I-85 has been getting some attention. It might have something to do with Cam Newton's face showcased on the vibrant sign.
The Extension office is sponsoring a 12-week campaign with the help of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education and FNV, a branch of the Partnership for a Healthier America to spread awareness for healthy eating.
According to Katie Funderburk, nutrition and evaluation coordinator, the program is based on messages about eating fruits and vegetables, cooking with the family and being physically active.
After the first campaign, the Extension office conducted a phone survey for those in the general vicinity of the billboards and received positive feedback concerning the messages and images on the billboard.
The campaign is different than most of its counterparts, Funderburk said. FNV has focused on creating advertisements that will attract attention and draw people to the idea of healthy foods.
"(FNV's) goal is to make fruits and veggies cool, fun and exciting," Funderburk said. "Rather than telling people to eat healthy because it is good for them, you just just positive imagery and witty advertisements."
Funderburk said the strategy was based on advertising fruits and vegetables like junk food. Common advertisements are bright and exuberant. Advertisements as such appeal to kids of all ages.
"The campaign is smart, witty, cute and a really unique way to get a message out there about fruits and vegetables, which sometimes can seem to be a really dry subject," Funderburk said.
What really sets this campaign apart are the well-known faces pictured next to the clever phrases and tasty vegetables. Jessica Alba, Kristen Bell, Nick Jonas, John Cena and Stephen Curry are a few of the famous faces that have endorsed the campaign.
Along with those men and women, Newton is captured smiling with a handful of carrots in one of the advertisements.
"We chose from the celebrities that endorsed FNV based off of who would resonate with our population, and obviously since Cam Newton was our hometown hero, we thought that would go over well," Funderburk said.
Barb Struempler, program leader for nutrition programs, said the connection between the state and the endorser is one that should not be overlooked.
"When Cam Newton says to eat fruits and veggies, it's a positive message," Struempler said. "It's not telling someone they can't do something. Instead of saying no, it's telling someone what to do to make their life better and healthier."
Environmental changes and healthy substitutions in today's society will create a cultural shift that will benefit the Alabama citizens, as well as the state as a whole, Struempler said.
"Alabama won't look the same in three years," Struempler said.
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