What is the VERB Campaign?

VERB is about . . . Being a kid.  The spirit or personality of VERB is energizing and entertaining.  VERB speaks to tweens in "kid language," including only kid-relevant information. Having fun and being with friends -- two things that are very important to most children at this age. Exploring and discoveraing.  It encourages tweens to find new activities.  VERB motivates every tween, not just the athletic ones, to find their verb(s). Encouraging trial and praise -- "Try it to see if you like it."  "You had so much fun today."  "Dad would be so proud to know that you . . ."

VERB™ It’s what you do. is a national, multicultural social marketing campaign coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The VERB campaign encourages tweens (children aged 9–13 years) to be physically active every day through a combination of paid advertising, school and community promotions and the Internet. The campaign uses a social marketing framework that applies sophisticated marketing techniques to address the public health problem of sedentary lifestyles among America‘s children.

The campaign, planned as a five-year strategic effort, has proven effective. Since its launch in June 2002, the campaign has achieved phenomenal awareness among tweens, positively influenced tween attitudes toward physical activity and increased tweens’ self-reported physical activity levels. The VERB campaign directly and effectively reached the national tween audience and created a demand for physical activity. Campaign partners provide the local opportunities for tweens to be active. Three-quarters of the nation’s tweens report awareness and understanding of the VERB brand: they know what VERB is and they know it’s all about being physically active.

They also report a high affinity toward the VERB brand:  they think VERB is fun and cool.

CDC’s audience research with tweens tells us that children this age are not motivated by the abstract concepts of long-term chronic disease prevention…so the VERB campaign takes a different approach.

The campaign inspires tweens to be physically active. It provides ideas and resources to help tweens find ways to get active, and provides opportunities for them to add physical activity into their everyday lives. VERB changes how tweens think about physical activity by emphasizing its fun and exciting aspects.

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