Nestlé for Healthier Kids Campaign.

Doing it for the kids

Today there are some 40 million children under the age of 5 who are obese. Which is why Nestlé kicked off the Nestlé for Healthier Kids campaign to support parents and caregivers in raising healthier children and advocating for togetherness as the best way to help them develop healthy habits.

Sounds all good doesn’t it, however, the big ‘but’ here is that healthy food is often perceived as boring, expensive and time-consuming to cook. With this insight in mind, the challenge was how do we change perceptions around healthy cooking for children and families, and make the campaign relatable to the South African market?

The solution – a vibrantly illustrated children’s recipe storybook that appeals to young children’s active imaginations, while cultivating an interest in healthy food and preparing meals with their families. To ensure mass reach and positive impact, we wrote the story in isiZulu and English, speaking to the largest language group in South Africa.

The recipe storybook, titled Sam Dreams, centres around Sam, a frustrated inventor who can’t understand why is scientific inventions don’t work. It’s only when Sam’s sister, Nandi, invites him to join her in the kitchen that his true talent for inventing shines through in the various recipes he dreams up – recipes developed for us by a real chef.

Within the story are educational themes and topics, such as, learning new skills, being interested in inventing something new, easy to follow cooking instructions with measurements, science topics, different geographical terrains, shape recognition, rhyming words, and interesting ‘Did you know?’ facts.

The recipe storybook is available in English and isiZulu as a free, printable download on the official Nestlé South Africa website.

Instagram influencers, all of them proud moms, received a Recipe Story Box, that included the printed Sam Dreams book, and all the Nestlé ingredients. The influencers, along with their children, each demonstrated how to make one of the recipes from the storybook, some even going as far as creating fun and decorative props that matched the theme of each recipe.

Through reading all about Sam’s dreams and adventures in the kitchen, children and parents can also experience the enjoyment of cooking, using Nestlé products.

This incredibly creative and educational storybook offers hours of fun and entertainment. The endearing and relatable South African characters and vibrant illustrations have resulted in a winning solution that captures children’s and parents’ imaginations alike (Winner of a Silver Award at Pendoring 2020).