Starting a Food Fight is the newest game site for foodies on the Internet, thanks to General Mills. What's neat about it is that while participating in a virtual food fight, consumers can also download dozens of simple, healthy recipes to make at home.


As the game loads, viewers pick the food they want to use in the fight, and they pick their favorite combatants, aka grubslingers, and square off with them: Ruthless Ruth, Sake Tuya or Chuck Frank.
With the opponent and viewer grabbing anything off the screen as fair game in the food fight, splotches cover the screen, making it increasingly difficult to see the virtual opponent who is running across the screen and ducking. The food fight concludes when there is an actual winner of the game.
Then, viewers are invited to "ambush a friend" by sending them a link to a healthy recipe. When the friend clicks on the link, of course, they actually get splattered food and an invitation to join a food fight....
Of course, when everybody tires of the game (which happens more quickly for some of us than others), they can click on the www.EatBetterAmerica.com link, giving them access to lots of healthy, quickly made recipes, diet, nutrition and fitness information. The site also features coupons and promotions. This is great for busy, multi-tasking folks who'd really like to start eating more nutritiously. And just think: it all started with a food fight!
Interestingly, General Mills has promoted its "Eat Better America" site with offline and online campaigns and its food fight site, "The Good Food Fight" in a viral campaign. . . proof that good marketers are using multiple tools and tactics to achieve their goals of reaching their audiences and engaging them.
With this campaign and these sites, General Mills is pointing the way to healthier eating, without having to give up flavor, and much of our time. What's not to love about that?
Question: what do you, the Daily Fix readers, think of General Mills' strategy with these sites? Do you think they are effective and engaging, or silly and childish? I'd like to hear from you.