2011 Winners & Shortlists

Results and Effectiveness

The first phase of the 'Fat Truth Campaign' was hailed as a great success by UNICEF and the Ministry of Health, who have extended the campaign to a second phase. The animation has formed an integral part of this second phase of the campaign,so much so that we were asked to work with highly regarded Ministry of Health nutritionists, ensuring that children view tailor-made messages in the animation relating to their lifestyles in the region. Combined with lectures and activities within schools, the animation complements the campaign perfectly, undoubtedly having a lasting effect on the children of the UAE.

Creative Execution

Our solution was to create a 20 minute long animation to be shown to schoolchildren with a comic book to complement it. The animation focused around Moufeed, a boy who questions his mother's desire for him to eat healthily. Moufeed is transported to a magical land 'The Empire of Sweets' when visiting a candy store, where he meets a group of overweight animals. Moufeed helps the animals by advising them how to eat and live healthily. They escape the land, refusing the advances of the evil ruler of the empire. Throughout the story, Moufeed, his mother and the narrator offer advice on how to avoid fatty foods in a manner tailored to modern children's lifestyles. Using English and Arabic dialogue, specially composed sound and music, and high definition cartoon animation, the animation combined with the comic was specifically targeted to children, ensuring they would forever remember the advice on offer.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

UNICEF and the Ministry of Health UAE established the 'Fat Truth Campaign' in 2009 to tackle the epidemic that is childhood obesity in the UAE. Obesity leads to several health issues, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, with the former estimated to affect half of the UAE population in the next 25 years should trends continue. As part of the 'Fat Truth Campaign', we aimed to provide a product that would outline the benefits of healthy eating and living, that would have a profound impact on the future generation of the UAE. The target audience, therefore, for this particular campaign element were students between 6-13 years old at public and private schools in the UAE. We aimed to create a product that would allow the client to appeal directly to this demographic by communicating facts and figures in a fun, friendly and interestingly educational manner.