The American first lady, Michelle Obama has always been very keen to work for the welfare of society. She has been a part of many social campaigns and visited the homeless shelters and places where food is offered to hungry people. She is always willing to step out to promote the social causes and she has gained massive support from public in this regard.
Since the start of her first year in office in 2009, she set a goal to make progress in reversing the trend of childhood obesity. Continuing the great work, recently she has signed up the Major League Baseball and its players’ association for a new campaign in order to promote this cause. The campaign is called “Let’s Move” and it is against childhood obesity.
The campaign was originally declared in the month of February and it engaged various partners in government, science, medicine, business, education and sport. The New York office of McCann Erickson produced the promotional stuff for the campaign. The electronic media was selected for promotion and television spots were created in order to initially aim the families. Interpublic Group of Companies, the agency of record for Major League Baseball, in partnership with the White House, Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, the United States Department of Agriculture and Advertising Council are all the part of this campaign.
The Advertising Council issued 30 television and 30 radio spots for each of the league’s baseball teams in the campaign. In other versions of electronic media ads which will be distributed nationally in markets with no local teams, the centre fielder, Curtis Granderson of New York Yankees will be featured.
All the commercial ads for the campaign start with a video of First Lady. Mrs. Obama recorded this video in late May in White House. She actually explains in the video that there are a lot of things and activities which can be done in order to remain fit and healthy. She describes the goal of this public service campaign. Afterwards, the local baseball teams’ players are featured in the video and they show different moves in a joyful sporting manner.
Around 30 players including Granderson of Yankees and Jeff Francoeur of New York Mets hold the position of team spokesman in the ads and they have been selected by the Major League Baseball Association
The American MLB network aired the first spot on Tuesday and rest will soon be launched on different other channels by the mid of next month. Mrs. Obama is very optimistic about the success of this campaign and she seems happy about the way this campaign has been carried out. The addition of baseball players has added more value to the whole process of promoting this cause. That is why, she has been trying to urge more sports leagues to join hands in the promotion of “Let’s Move” campaign. The National Football League and Women’s National Basketball Association will probably be the next potential partners of the campaign.
Rick Burton, David B. Falk who is performing his duties as a professor of sport management at Syracuse University has passed positive remarks about the campaign. Although he is not involved in the campaign but he called it a great effort. Due to the involvement of Major League Baseball, it will reach the audience of all types. He further credited Mrs. Obama that it is very encouraging that the American First Lady, who happens to be a mother, is leading this campaign.
So far the campaign is doing very well and it has gathered positive feedback from the majority of people. The objective of the new public service campaign, she explained, is to solve the challenge of childhood obesity, so that kids born today reach adulthood at a healthy weight”.