Spotlight On . . . VERB™ Campaign Special Issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine   The VERB Yellowball reminds us that play is fun! It ignites a desire for physical activity freeing kids to play out their dreams.

VERB™ It’s what you do. was a national, multicultural, social marketing campaign coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Social marketing campaigns apply commercial marketing strategies to influence the voluntary behavior of target audiences to improve personal and social welfare. The campaign ran from 2002-2006.

Vision—All youth leading healthy lifestyles.

Mission—To increase and maintain physical activity among tweens (youth age 9-13).

Campaign Audiences—The VERB campaign encouraged tweens to be physically active every day. The campaign combined paid advertising, marketing strategies, and partnership efforts to reach the distinct audiences of tweens. Other important audiences were parents and adult influencers, including teachers, youth leaders, physical education and health professionals, pediatricians, health care providers, coaches, and others.

Goals—

• Increase knowledge and improve attitudes and beliefs about tweens’ regular participation in physical activity.
• Increase parental and influencer support and encouragement of tweens’ participation in physical activity.
• Heighten awareness of options and opportunities for tween participation in physical activity.
• Facilitate opportunities for tweens to participate in regular physical activity.
• Increase and maintain the number of tweens who regularly participate in physical activity.
   

Page last reviewed: August 1, 2007
Page last modified: May 20, 2008
Content source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health