Evil veggies take over the world in campaign designed to get more kids eating them

In the U.K., a new campaign to persuade kids to eat more vegetables kicks off today with a film that turns veggies into evil monsters who want to take over the world.

That might sound counter-intuitive, but the point of the film, by Adam & Eve/DDB, is that you have to "eat them to defeat them." In the spot, directed by Ninian Doff of Pulse Films, children are cast as the heroes helping out their parents who are unable to fight off vegetables emerging “from underground to take over the world." We see the evil veg heading towards a city, disaster-movie style, and a mom getting attacked in the car by a gang of aggressive brussels sprouts. Only by eating the vegetables can the kids vanquish them. 

The ad was created for broadcaster ITV and the initiative Veg Power, which is backed by major U.K. supermarkets as well as frozen food brand Bird's Eye. As well as developing the campaign with Veg Power, ITV has backed it with two million pounds of airtime across its channels, for an initial 12-week run.

The TV ad will be supported by online, social, outdoor, cinema and print activity. Adam&Eve/DDB has also created an "eat chart," designed to reward kids with stickers when they consume vegetables.

Sir John Hegarty, one of the founders behind the project, said in a statement, “'The Eat Them To Defeat Them' campaign is one of the most exciting projects I have worked on. Not only is it brilliant and vibrant creative work but it has the potential to change and save lives. Using advertising to encourage children to love veg is an incredibly important step towards transforming the nation’s health. I hope this daring campaign will have real impact and will inspire others around the globe to use creative ideas to solve one of the greatest challenges we are facing in today’s world.”