News

WeUsThem Inc., a full-service agency located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has been internationally recognized with a Gold Davey award for their work on Froogie, a mobile app that encourages fruit and vegetable consumption in youth.

The Davey award is an international award that honours creative works from media, marketing, and PR agencies awarded by the International Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. This is the second time a Davey award has been received in Atlantic Canada, both times won by WeUsThem.

The Froogie app is a true east-coast Canadian collaboration between Dalhousie University and WeUsThem.

Sara Kirk is Canada Research Chair in Health Services Research at the Dal School of Health and Human Performance and Scientific Director Healthy Populations Institute (HPI). Dr. Kirk's research mandate involves figuring out ways to create healthier communities that support chronic disease prevention.

Less than one in 10 Canadian youth are eating the amount of fruits and vegetables recommended in Canada's Food Guide.

"Healthy eating and active living are two of the most important things we can do to improve our general health and wellbeing," said Dr. Kirk. "Eating more fruits and veggies is an easy change we can make for a big impact," she continued.

Informed by Dr. Kirk's research, WeUsThem designed a fun, creative solution that helps families to maintain a healthy diet. Funding was provided by the Heart & Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

“I am thrilled that the Froogie app has won this award. The Froogie characters are a wonderful way to engage children and families in healthy eating,” said Dr. Kirk. “I love the creativity that the design team at WeUsThem brought to the app. I am so proud of the app and what it has achieved in such a short time since launch,” she continued.

Apple has also featured Froogie as a “New and Notable App” on the iTunes store.