Organic Voices, a US nonprofit dedicated to supporting organic, has created one of the most profoundly annoying ads ever – with the full blessing of 100 leading brands including Organic Valley, Amy’s Kitchen, Stonyfield Organic, Applegate and Lundberg Family Farms.
“The World’s Most Skippable Ad,” a 30-minute video, features two parents washing dishes while literally singing the names of the more than 700 chemicals allowed in conventional farming and food manufacturing.
The concept behind the campaign is simple…and cunning: Rather than reading a long list of unpronounceable chemicals that may or may not pose potential health risks, consumers are encouraged to skip this list and have peace of mind by searching for and buying products with the USDA organic seal.
Throughout the ridiculously long video, the couple repeatedly urges viewers to skip the ad and the long list of chemicals and just buy organic instead. The “Skip the Chemicals” campaign features a series of other creative ads and content targeting a broad spectrum of Americans, along with a website which consumers should also skip scrolling through.
Organic Voices claims there has never been a campaign of this magnitude with so much support from such diverse parties within the organic industry and beyond.
“’Skip the chemicals and just go with organic’ is a pretty straight-forward message that most people can appreciate,” said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Organic Voices. “Americans should not have to read a long list of chemicals on the back of their products and wonder if any will cause harm to themselves and their family. We want to make it simple: you can skip this long list of chemicals and just go with organic.”
“This campaign could not have come at a better time,” said John Ghingo, president of Applegate, the leading natural and organic meat brand. “Consumers are confused and exhausted with all the messages and information coming at them, and unfortunately, the simplicity of organic has been lost. This campaign cuts to the chase: organic is a really easy way to identify the cleanest and purest food.”
Robert Kirchoff, CEO of Organic Valley said, “It’s central to the Organic Valley mission that we provide consumers with organic products they can feel good about. Part of executing on this mission is educating consumers about the benefits of organic — but this process requires the voices of many. Coming together as an industry with a unified voice is an important step in the right direction.”
The initiative is supported by the Organic Trade Association’s industry-invested GRO Organic voluntary research, promotion, and education initiative.