• by Larissa Faw , June 29, 2015

The Fourth of July is often celebrated with BBQs and pie, which is why the advocacy group Great Nations Eat and its creative agency BBH New York are using the holiday to launch its new multifaceted campaign to raise awareness about the plight of those who go hungry. 

The effort is leveraging $100 million in donated media to result in a billion impressions across various platforms over the next six months. 

Ads in the campaign focus on the message that ending hunger is a patriotic duty and that “America can’t be great on an empty stomach.”

Each channel utilized by the campaign conveys a slightly different image. Print ads, for instance, say: “It’s time America declared independence from hunger,” and that “hunger is in the way of a brighter future.” The 15-second animated spots hit a similar note, reminding viewers of great American accomplishments like putting a man on the moon and that “feeding our people shouldn’t be rocket science.” 

In contrast, the 30-second TV and Web ads seek to be much more disruptive, aiming to turn the stereotype of traditional hunger campaigns and PSAs on its head, say agency executives. Americans of every generation are familiar with television ads asking them to donate money to help starving children in other countries. Thus, Great Nations Eat’s new ads follow the same formula, but highlight the fact that America has, in fact, fallen behind many countries like Germany, Slovenia, and China in food security -- and that it is not just children in other nations who are battling hunger, but our own. 

“Hunger exists in every community, and it affects the lives of 1 in 6 Americans," says Billy Shore, founder and chief executive officer of Share Our Strength. "That doesn't happen in any other developed nation, and it shouldn't happen here. Ending hunger is possible, but it will take public awareness, political outreach, and the voices of nonprofits, corporations, media outlets, government, and ordinary citizens all standing up for change to make it happen. That is exactly what Great Nations Eat is about.”

The Great Nations Eat campaign is a five-year, "committed partnership" between national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength and the filmmakers behind the Participant Media documentary, “A Place at the Table.”