Jahdiel Brown a class of 2016 student of Moorestown Friends School earned a first place prize of $2,000 and a $5,000 scholarship to the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia for her “Chop To It!” social media marketing campaign in the Healthy Lifestyles Business Competition, hosted by the university on Feb. 27. Sponsored by the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Business program at Mayes College of Healthcare Business and Policy, the competition encouraged entrants to design a campaign to persuade their audience to live a healthy lifestyle.
“My idea with my campaign ‘Chop To It!’ was to focus on the fun aspect of cooking to motivate people to cook more in their kitchens, rather than eating out,” Brown said. “When I was a kid, the most fun part of cooking for me was chopping and dicing. I felt like a professional chef prepping my food. So my food rule throughout my social media campaign was if it doesn’t require chopping, slicing or dicing, you shouldn’t eat it because it probably doesn’t have healthy, whole ingredients.”
Brown was exposed to the idea of general food rules through Science Department Chair Barb Kreider’s Nutrition course.
Brown created “Chop To It!” social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and, her chief social media channel, Pinterest. On Pinterest, Brown assembled boards about knife safety, knife skills, “Chop To It!” recipes, affordable recipes, and quick and easy recipes. These visual graphics promoted the message of her campaign effectively, and provided her audience with many educational resources.
“Being at the competition was nerve wracking, but it was fun to present and encourage people to heave a healthier lifestyle,” said Brown. “I enjoyed presenting my final campaign to the judges and it was great that they liked it too! I didn’t know I could do marketing work, but I learned a lot along the way. I was out of my comfort zone with this project, but I’m so glad I did it.”
Brown has been very active in the MFS Art Department and hopes to minor in art at the college or university she attends next year. She plans on studying nursing, so she was exceptionally proud of her campaign and its promotion of healthy living.
