EU launches ‘Love Potatoes’ campaign, advertising potatoes as “fat-free and easy”

Spanning in-print ads, videos, and the digital reach of social media, consumers are dared to become enamored with potatoes in a more unconventional way than most industry campaigns. “Confident” spuds are depicted in a variety of situations that may equally conflict and entertain the senses. These ads are “a fun way to get younger consumers to see potatoes as a healthy source of fibre and potassium, as well as being naturally fat-free and easy to cook,” Rob Clayton, U.K.’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development (AHDB) Board Potato Strategy Director, said. The campaign is equally funded by an EU grant and the Potato Council. In a rather critical article of the campaign, the British tabloid The Sun calls the ads “smutty” and writes “the EU has spent £1.8million on promoting potatoes with a bizarre ad campaign which stars the vegetables as sex objects. One widely distributed advert shows a potato wearing sunglasses lying in bed, with the caption: ‘Looking for fat-free and easy? You just got lucky.’ Next to the potato is a book titled ’51 Shades for Spuds’ – a reference to the S&M-themed book and film 50 Shades of Grey”. The Sun article