Kuck Fale – Broccoli’s Brand Makeover

For most of us, sentiment about broccoli has been negative ever since we first encountered it on our plates at whatever tender age we started having opinions about solid food. Generally done no favors in preparation, broccoli’s been steamed into sogginess, or, at best, buried under an avalanche of cheese and served up as some obligatory healthy offering.

And that’s a challenge for marketers… how do we make broccoli sexy, given its long history of being made so, so gross? In that respect, at least kale had it easy – it was a stranger to most of us when it came on the scene. Broccoli’s been that kid who gets picked last for kickball basically forever.

Specifically, it was a challenge presented to ad agency Victors & Spoils. In their brainstorming process, they considered net-negative opinions on the cruciferous green veg, and endless photos of refrigerators where everything but broccoli could easily be found. They wrote it tombstone epitaphs. Journeyed to schools and farms. Ultimately, a campaign called “The Alpha Vegetable” came into creation – aiming to give broccoli a featured place on the dinner table.

Broccoli, we’re still not that into you. But you’re a great case study for marketing initiatives.

NYTimes: Broccoli’s Extreme Makeover