VERB

VERB

The Story

In 2002, Matt bought his first suit, hopped on a plane from Houston to Washington and met with members of Congress to tell them his story. How limited his life used to be. Overweight and stricken with severe asthma, his days were spent on the couch watching old movies with his mom and eating cookies. Few friends and little hope about living a more engaging life. But then he was able to find his VERBs. His first VERB was walk. Then it was run. Then it became block as he starting playing football on his junior high team. Ultimately, Matt lost thirty pounds and his asthma. And now on those rainy days, instead of watching old movies and eating cookies, he’s taking Mom with him on long walks around the neighborhood.

VERB was a national campaign created “for kids, by kids” to improve physical activity among American tweens. It was designed not to point fingers at negative behavior like watching too much television but rather empowered kids to become more physically active by inspiring them to “find their VERB.”

The Collaboration

VERB was a labor of love for all involved. Started by the CDC, it involved six agencies representing different disciplines and minority groups. Mutually beneficial partnerships were at the center of our campaign, involving media companies such as Disney, Time Warner and Viacom, community based organizations such as the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs, and numerous other groups and celebrities, totaling over four hundred.

Not only did the campaign generate unprecedented awareness levels and positive brand attributes, but also more importantly it affected behavior in a meaningful way for those kids, like Matt, at the highest risk. In the first year of the campaign, activity levels increased by 34% for kids 9-10, 27% among tween girls and 25% among children in lower income households

By the third year of the campaign, we demonstrated a direct correlation among exposure to the Verb message and increased rates of activity among all tweens nationally.