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Strong4Life anti-obesity ad shocks, backfires, and…succeeds? January 17, 2012

An ad for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Strong4Life campaign created major buzz in January 2012. Running billboards and ads with statements like “being fat takes the fun out of being a kid” and “it’s hard to be a little girl if you’re not,” the campaign is being criticized for being insensitive to overweight Americans. Some critics are claiming that the the strategy makes overweight children feel even guiltier than they already do, and that the campaign does little more than produce shame. Despite the criticism, some proponents of the campaign are saying that the significant amount of attention given to the campaign proves that it has succeeded. As one health blogger for The Washington Post noted, the campaign’s strategy to shock audiences was probably the only thing it could have done to force people to pay attention.

For an example of an ad from the campaign, watch the following video:

Discussion Questions:

1.  What is it about the Strong4Life ads that is shocking so many people?

2.  Are the Strong4Life ads inappropriate? If so, then how?

3.  How does the Strong4Life campaign demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of the persuasive strategy of shocking audiences?