For all the talk about the obesity epidemic and attempts to fix the problem (see menu labeling, anti-fast food zoning laws, banning toys in Happy Meals, not selling chocolate milk in schools, or super-gross advertising), maybe the simplest solution is just to run commercials on television promoting vegetables. People watch television! Also, people are easily influenced.

The ads below are ostensibly for broccoli, but what they're actually for is television advertising. The Television Bureau of Canada ran the ads to prove that TV commercials are still a valuable marketing tool, and boy are they ever: because of the spots, broccoli sales in Canada went up by 8%. Sounds like some very happy broccoli growers just got a whole lot of free advertising.

Video: Broccoli Parachute

Video: Broccoli Octuplets

Video: Broccoli Chimney

· TV Spots Fool Canadians Into Eating Broccoli [AdFreak]

· Broccoli Ads Make the Case That TV Still Matters [Toronto Star]

· All Commercials Coverage on Eater [-E-]