Friday, July 31, 2009

"Oh, no!" says the broccoli ...

... "Secretary Vilsack loves cookies and not me!"


When I saw this in an email from agrarian writer Stephanie Ogburn, I thought it was Photoshop humor, but really it is from a USDA press release today.

The press release describes a new anti-obesity public service announcement featuring USDA Secretary Vilsack and Sesame Street characters.

Sesame Street came under fire from Commercial Alert in 2003 for its sponsorship from McDonald's, including a mini-advertisement adjacent to the public television show. Here is the current Sesame Street page thanking its sponsors, including McDonald's.

Question for the comments: do you think the cold shoulder for broccoli in the USDA photograph is an oversight or intentional non-verbal communication?

Update: a Facebook comment says, "hmm-- Kathleen showed this PSA at Mayoral Child Nutrition Summit today...the broccoli is portrayed very well in the spot...I think this is an oversight."

5 comments:

  1. Photographic composition balance, following the "rule of thirds"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds

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  3. ok, this is fascinating who on earth does their press stuff

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  5. In addition to the broccoli getting the cold shoulder, at the end of the healthy eating video, Cookie Monster eats...the cookie

    http://www.sesameworkshop.org/initiatives/health

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