The driving force behind the Dietary Guidelines Alliance creating the It’s All About You campaign was the disparity between what consumers
believe about the value of good nutrition and physical activity, and what they’re actually
doing about it.
The campaign works because it makes the Dietary Guidelines for Americans work for consumers, by designing messages and tips based on consumer input.
In 1995 and 1996, the DGA conducted extensive qualitative research with consumers to uncover what they believe about food, nutrition and physical activity; what they value in life; what motivates them to change and what they perceive as barriers to change.
Here’s what consumers told us:
- Consumers believe good health is important because it makes them more confident, energetic and productive, which leads to happiness and satisfaction with their lives.
- Good health means eating well and getting enough exercise.
- Consumers are tired of negative nutrition messages; they want to hear what to do, rather than what not to do.
- Many believe they must give up the tasty foods they like to follow a healthful diet.
- They don’t understand that there are no “good” and “bad” foods, but “good” and “bad” diets.
- When eating certain foods, they understand and practice food “trade-offs” and moderation, but feel guilty because they’re not sure they’re doing it right.
- Consumers confirm that they’re confused about conflicting nutrition headlines and reports, and say this information is losing credibility with them.
- Major obstacles to eating better and being more active include lack of time, energy, and “will power;” force of habit; indifference; and perceptions that practicing these healthier habits is expensive.
Using these research findings, the Dietary Guidelines Alliance created the It’s All About You campaign theme, tagline, messages, and tips.
IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU works because “you” is powerful, motivating and attention-getting. Consumers focus on themselves and what they want out of life. The tagline “Make healthy choices that fit your lifestyle so you can do the things you want to do” personalizes the theme. Consumers especially relate to the link between “your lifestyle” and “do the things you want to do.” Messages were designed to fit five different categories: Be Realistic, Be Adventurous, Be Flexible, Be Sensible, and Be Active. Each message within these categories has corresponding tips to make the advice actionable to the consumers.
