USSA parters with VERB campaign to fight child obesity

USSA parters with VERB campaign to fight child obesity{mosimage}U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding athletes will join the federal VERB (TM) youth marketing campaign to promote increased physical activity among 9-13 year olds to help fight youth obesity, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) announced Monday.

USSA, the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding and the leading producer of winter action sports events and athlete programs, joins SnowSports Industries America (SIA) to bring the first winter sports program to the highly successful VERB campaign. VERB, which debuted in 2002, has led to increased physical activity among kids through a variety of marketing initiatives, including alliances with most major U.S. professional sports leagues and athlete spokespersons.

Skiing and snowboarding will be the focus of VERB’s upcoming December and January efforts, featuring U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding brands and athletes. The program will kick off with VERB SnowSports Day Dec. 4, launching a four-month program in which kids can earn rewards by skiing or snowboarding. A VERB Project Zero Degrees activity pack will be available to kids at participating retailers coast-to-coast. The pack will contain a variety of cool prizes and educational tools to help get kids excited to try skiing and snowboarding, including ‘action cards’ featuring top U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding athletes. It also will include information about fun things for kids to do on snow and a free mini-subscription to Ski Racing magazine.

‘VERB offers the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding two outstanding opportunities’ said USSA’s Vice President of Marketing Communications, Tom Kelly. ‘VERB connects our athletes and brands with the message of activity for kids, and it helps to make kids more aware of our top athletes and the excitement of our sports of skiing and snowboarding.’

‘We are excited to work with the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding and build a successful program, VERB Project Zero Degrees’ said Faye Wong, director of the VERB campaign. ‘VERB reminds children to discover and participate in all kinds of physical activity, including skiing and snowboarding.’

VERB’s programs have triggered more than a 20 percent increase in youth activity. In addition, VERB boasts a 79 percent brand recognition level among 9-13 year olds, and has touched more than 17 million kids through its programs.

VERB was developed in response to the national epidemic of youth obesity. The marketing campaign has had great success targeting 9-13 year olds directly through the Web, promotions, advertising, public relations and media partnerships, including Parents, MTV, Disney and ABC Family.

‘Skiing and snowboarding are among the most popular and fastest growing kid-friendly and family-friendly sports activities’ said Kelly. ‘And U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding athletes are outstanding role models to excite youth about being more active.’

In its campaign, VERB has worked with such well-known athletes such as tennis star Venus Williams, the NFL’s Donovan McNabb and MLS’s Landon Donovan as spokespersons. In addition, VERB has partnered with professional sports leagues, using its brands to reach kids. U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding brands and athletes will be used in a similar way, with SIA providing the infrastructure to deliver the program through ski and snowboard retailers.

A significant element of the program will be web content and the ability for kids to log activity online and to pick up skiing and snowboarding tips through the VERBnow.com website, as well as SIA’s snowlinkjr.com and USSA’s web sites at usskiteam.com and ussnowboarding.org.

USSA manages more than 3,000 grassroots ski and snowboard events through more than 400 local clubs at ski and snowboard areas from coast-to-coast. USSA also supports over 170 athletes on national teams through the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding and produces major international action sports events in alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, nordic skiing and snowboarding which are seen on NBC Sports and OLN.

Among the top athletes in USSA’s programs include alpine ski world champions Daron Rahlves and Bode Miller, freestyle world champion Jeremy Bloom and medalist Toby Dawson, cross country skier Kris Freeman, and X Games snowboard champions Hannah Teter, Lindsey Jacobellis and Steve Fisher.