Young campaigners from Bite Back. Photo: David Madden Photography / Bite Back
The young campaigners at Bite Back hijacked some of the Junk Food Giants’ favourite ad placements, to call for an end to the bombardment of advertising of unhealthy products.
The Campaign
Junk Food Giants spend millions every year on advertising, designed to do one thing — ensure their unhealthy products are centre stage.
At a time when 1/3 English children leave Primary School at risk of a future of food related illnesses, like heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes.
Bite Back believes children have the right to a healthy childhood. Children need a Commercial Break.
That’s why, during the 2024 summer holidays, Bite Back launched their own groundbreaking anti-advertising campaign, Commercial Break, to expose these tactics and demand that government end the advertising of junk foods to children.
Bite Back knows from their young activists that families feel especially targeted during school holidays, so they identified where junk ads were showing up and hijacked them with their own message, from vast billboards to unskippable Youtube ads:
David Madden Photography / Bite Back.
We are delighted to be shortlisted for this award, on behalf of all of the incredibly talented and brave young campaigners at Bite Back who are standing up to the Junk Food Giants. Every young person has the right to a healthy childhood and a #CommercialBreak from junk food ads. ”
Brand Development Manager
The Change
Bite Back’s goal was to shift consumers’ mindsets onto the food environment’s role in shaping health, and away from the blame that companies place on consumers.
By taking back the narrative in this way, Bite Back knew they could increase the power of their voice, as they continued to campaign for the implementation of the government’s proposed junk food advertising curfew.
And the results were better than anyone could have even hoped for! 89% of qualitative survey respondents demonstrated evidence of our target mindset following exposure to the campaign, an increase of 65% versus a control group.
This represented a huge shift in the 1.1 million individuals who saw the ads, with total impressions of over 7.5 million! Bite Back also hit headlines across the nation, with their young activists’ image front and centre.
And crucially, in the weeks following the campaign the government confirmed the implementation of a 9pm junk food advertising curfew on TV and online.
The Future
Bite Back’s youth continue to demand a Commercial Break for their generation into 2025 and beyond. The curfew legislation is a great start, but does not account for the bombardment of on-street junk food advertising that children are faced with every day.
Thanks to the success of the first #CommercialBreak campaign, Bite Back have received generous support from Impact on Urban Health to execute the campaign across South London in the spring of 2025. Our young people are also heading straight to the top, bravely asking direct questions to Junk Food Giants’ boards at their all important AGMs this year.
So keep your eyes peeled and support their young campaigners’ message on socials!
