Can the right logo and slogan help to make exercise cool?
The October 25, 2002 NOW WITH BILL MOYERS broadcast features an in-depth report on a government media campaign called ‘VERB’, designed to motivate children to increase their levels of exercise. (Note: A free transcript of this segment is available on the NOW Web site. Teachers may also tape the broadcast off-air and use it in the classroom for one year. Alternatively, programs are available for purchase from ShopPBS (http://shop.pbs.org).) The report quotes the professional marketers who developed the VERB campaign as seeking to package exercise into a ‘cool brand’: “It has to be cool,” they say. “It has to sound cool, it has to look cool. As soon as it doesn’t, we’ve lost our audience. We can’t do that.” Components of the VERB campaign include the slogan, “VERB: It’s What You Do”, and a logo. (See the VERB Web site for more detail.) Ask students what logos and slogans are. What is the purpose for each in building a brand? Where do students often see logos and/or slogans? Take a moment
