Welcome to Obecity, USA

“Welcome to Obecity, USA” is a multi-channel public health advocacy campaign designed to tackle the nation’s growing obesity epidemic head-on. The public service campaign – spanning emotion-packed PSAs, radio, digital media and OOH -- informs and engages the public to help Pennington in its mission to eradicate the obesity epidemic in America by 2040.
Obesity, despite being the #2 leading preventable cause of death in the US behind smoking, lacks any urgency around it. Contributing to the problem is public perception that obesity is the result of poor decision-making.
The strategic insight was that people are largely being set up to be obese and was conveyed through the idea of “Obecity, USA” which brings it to life like a real place. Obecity, USA became the metaphor to drive home the scale of the problem and environment people are surrounded by and to dramatize the idea of ‘it’s not what you’re eating, it’s what you’re being fed.’
Animated videos convey deeper, more emotional stories of the characters living in Obecity, USA and capture their struggles. Outdoor billboards & posters present like roadside welcome signs to the imaginary place and surface eye-opening statistics about the gravity of the very real problem. VisitObecity.org is a website experience designed to feel like your typical state tourism site. Radio PSAs are designed to feel like familiar tourism ads and underscore the public health message and reinforce the call-to-action (donation).