Ad Agency Veteran Pens Book to Help Kids Think Differently About VegetablesCAMDEN, N.J., Jan 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — What began as a personal project over the holiday season two years ago
has resulted in a first children’s book for New York City ad agency
veteran Tom Darbyshire.

By day Darbyshire is an SVP, Senior Creative Director at BBDO–New York,
where he and his colleagues are responsible for the development of
advertising that Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) uses to promote
its soups. But a lifelong passion for rhyme led Darbyshire in a slightly
different creative direction when he conceived of “Who Grew My Soup?” a
story about 10-year old Phineas Quinn, a young boy who is suspicious of
all vegetables – until he learns where the vegetables in his favorite
soup come from.

It was during the 2007 holiday season, while the agency was developing
early advertising concepts for Campbell’s condensed soup, that
Darbyshire repurposed a proposed tagline, “Who Grew Your Soup?” to
author a children’s book. “Our creative team was exploring how to
effectively tell the story of Campbell’s 100-year commitment to using
only the highest quality ingredients in its soups,” said Darbyshire. “At
the same time, Campbell was looking to help kids make better food
choices. I believe this book is a way to engage kids in a discussion
about food in a context that they will enjoy and relate to.”

In his book, Darbyshire features two of the actual farm families that
have been growing vegetables for Campbell for generations. Young Phin
meets Grant Hitchner and Phillip Perez during his adventure and is able
to learn first-hand, who grew the vegetables in the soup that his mother
has served. In real-life, the Hitchner family has been growing carrots
and other vegetables for Campbell for three generations on their farm in
New Jersey, while the Perez family has been growing tomatoes for
Campbell for more than 40 years in California.

Darbyshire partnered with illustrator C.F. Payne to bring his creative
vision to life. Payne is an award-winning artist, caricaturist and
illustrator, whose previous work has appeared on the pages of Time,
Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated and National
Geographic. Payne also has illustrated numerous children’s books,
including The Remarkable Farkle McBride and Micawber
written by Jon Lithgow.

Since the book was originally conceived, Campbell has partnered with the
National FFA Organization (formerly Future Farmers of America) to
develop the Help Grow Your Soup program. To date, Campbell has
donated a total of $500,000 to FFA to promote educational programs that
help students better understand the opportunities in agriculture. As
part of this program’s ongoing support to local farming communities,
Campbell and FFA will be preserving five historic barns in 2010. These
barns were selected from among ten nominated barns by a vote conducted
on the Help Grow Your Soup website. More information about the
program and Campbell’s commitment to agriculture is available at www.helpgrowyoursoup.com.

The book, “Who Grew My Soup” costs $9.95, plus shipping, and is
currently available for purchase at www.whogrewmysoupbook.com
or on Amazon.com.

“Who Grew My Soup?” has been published by Publications International,
Ltd., with underwriting support from Campbell Soup Company.

About The National FFA

The National FFA Organization was founded in 1928 as the Future Farmers
of America in support of agricultural education in schools around the
country. FFA prepares its members for more than 300 careers in the
science, business and technology of agriculture and has many educational
programs in place to foster leaders who will make sure our natural
resources are wisely used. Today’s FFA has more than half a million
members, 7,400 chapters in schools and 1,250 active alumni affiliates
across the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

About BBDO

BBDO’s mantra is “The Work. The Work. The Work.” In 2009, BBDO was named
Network of the Year at Cannes for the third year in a row, and is both
the world’s most awarded agency network according to The Gunn Report,
and the most awarded global agency network across all marketing
communications discipline in The Big Won Report. BBDO is a member
of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC)www.omnicomgroup.com.

About Campbell Soup Company

Campbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of
high-quality foods and simple meals, including soup, baked snacks and
healthy beverages. Founded in 1869, the company has a portfolio of market–leading
brands including “Campbell’s,” “Pepperidge Farm,” “Arnott’s” and “V8.”
For more information on the company, visit Campbell’s website at www.campbellsoup.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: https://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6144589&lang=en

SOURCE: Campbell Soup Company

Campbell Soup Company
John Faulkner, 856-342-3738
[email protected]
or
Weber Shandwick
Patricia Vicenzi, 312-988-2019
[email protected]

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