NBC Universal's 'Healthy At NBCU' to connect its health and wellness content with consumers

Oct 15 2009

NBC Universal will unveil a new company-wide initiative today, "Healthy At NBCU," aimed at connecting consumers, employees and marketers with its breadth of health and wellness content. The announcement was made by Lauren Zalaznick, President NBC Universal Women and Lifestyle Entertainment Networks, who is spearheading the initiative.

On the heels of the success of "Women At NBCU" and "Green is Universal" --"Healthy At NBCU" is NBCU's companion to GE's "healthymagination" initiative. "Healthy At NBCU" will provide marketers one-stop-shopping for a broad array of health and wellness content from the TODAY show to "The Biggest Loser" to iVillage to Oxygen's "Dance Your Ass Off."

"Now more than ever consumers are striving to take charge of their well-being," said Zalaznick. "NBCU's powerful line-up of entertaining and informative health content, as well as our proven expertise in delivering target audiences across numerous properties, uniquely positions 'Healthy At NBCU' to serve clients in this red hot category."

Zalaznick also announced that Campbell Soup Company has signed on as the first "Healthy At NBCU" sponsor. Campbell will promote its new, heart-healthy, lower sodium soups and its heart-health awareness program, Campbell's "AdDress Your Heart," during two, multi-segment health series on TODAY, as well as through sponsorship of Dr. Nancy Snyderman's show on MSNBC.

"Campbell has taken significant steps in our journey to lower sodium across our product portfolio," said Denise Morrison, President, Campbell North America Soup, Sauces and Beverages. "Partnering with NBCU is a great way to help educate people about ways to eat healthy and take care of their hearts."

As part of the new initiative, NBCU will launch a cross-platform event tackling nutritional literacy with a focus on fitness and reducing obesity in 2010. The campaign will include news and entertainment programming, an iVillage community health challenge, a company-wide employee health challenge, as well as continued offerings of healthier eating options in the Universal theme parks.

In addition, NBCU's award-winning "The More You Know" public service campaign will launch its new season this fall with an unprecedented commitment to health and wellness. The multi-platform campaign, co-branded with GE's healthymagination, will focus on issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke awareness and nutrition.

The digital centerpiece of "Healthy At NBCU" will be iVillage's soon-to-be-relaunched health site, debuting February 2010. The site will feature state-of-the- art tools that arm women with the resources they need to care for themselves as well as their entire family. The tools include "The Care Circle," a personalized digital notebook to track families health needs. The site will also feature premium content from GE, including medical imaging and health tools.

"Healthy At NBCU" will be introduced to the ad community today at a health-and- fitness-themed breakfast panel event, keynoted by Billie Jean King. A panel discussion on the topic of "Buy Healthy, Live Healthy: Changing Female Consumer Behavior" will be moderated by NBCU Chief Medical Editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman. Panelists include Lucy Danziger, Editor-in-Chief, Self Magazine; Ilana Kloss, CEO, World TeamTennis; Donna Orender, President, WNBA; Pamela Zucker, Executive Vice President, Marketplace Ignition MediaVest USA; and Lisa Walker, VP Innovation, Campbell Soup Company.