Broccoli aiming to dethrone kale from its ‘superfood’ perch

Published November 6, 2013 at 8:37 am

How is it that one of the healthiest foods we can eat—high in vitamin C, iron, folate and every other nutrient you could ever want—is often relegated to the back of the refrigerator or, if it’s cooked, ignored at the corner of dinner plates?

Victors & Spoils, a Colorado-based advertising agency, has taken on the pro bono task of rebranding broccoli in an effort to make it more appealing to Americans. It began the monumental task by questioning consumers about their perceptions of the vegetable.

The results? Not flattering.

“It’s overlooked and left behind,” strategy director Sara Brito summarized as she explained the agency’s findings to The New York Times. “It doesn’t matter in our culture. It has lost its confidence, succumbed to bullying and pressure. It’s content being on the sidelines.”

Given how poorly broccoli has performed in public opinion polls, does it even have a shot to join kale and other so-called “superfoods” in the upper echelon of culinary choices?

The Huffington Post, in an effort to end the debate altogether, called upon its readers to fill out a Sweet Sixteen-style bracket of superfoods. While broccoli did not make the cut (maybe it was upset in the Round of 32 by rhubarb), other contenders included kelp, kimchi and turmeric.

The Post gushed about its former flame—kale—while still finding room to praise whoever the next heir to the throne ends up being.

“While many people are still very excited about the health-promoting, brain-boosting, do-no-wrong green, it certainly isn’t the only superfood at the table,” the article said. “What makes a superfood? It has to be nutrient dense, calorie light and offer more than one health benefit.”

Ultimately, if a rebranding causes more Americans to turn to broccoli, the efforts of Victors & Spoils will have been worth it.