NEW YORK, NY, (NAMC) - The Advertising Council today announced the launch of an unprecedented public service advertising (PSA) campaign, “Generous Nation,” designed to inspire and motivate Americans to get involved in helping those in need. The campaign includes the call-to-action, “Don’t Almost Give. Give,” and is being unveiled this morning at a briefing at the Museum of TV & Radio.
In a break from its traditional model, the Ad Council is the sole sponsor of the new campaign. The PSAs were created
pro bono by Phil Dusenberry, former Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, BBDO, North America;
Charlie Miesmer, Vice Chairman, Executive Creative Director BBDO NY; and Ted Sann, Former Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, BBDO North America.
The genesis of the Generous Nation
campaign
grew out of the work the Ad Council created in response to Hurricane Katrina. If there was a silver lining to the devastation, it was that the images motivated countless people to give selflessly to others. The Generous Nation campaign is designed to inspire Americans to translate their everyday compassion and good intentions into action by giving more often. While the campaign features the Ad Council logo, it was created on behalf of the entire non-profit community. The PSAs encourage individuals to visit
www.DontAlmostGive.org, a new comprehensive website created and developed
pro bono by Tribal DDB. The website connects visitors to thousands of non-profit organizations.
“History has proven that Americans are compassionate, committed people who help others in tangible ways, both large and small, particularly in times of crisis. However, as generous as we are, sometimes instead of giving, we
almost give,” said Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of The Advertising Council. “This poignant campaign will inspire and motivate people to act on their best intentions to help those in need.”
At the campaign website,
www.DontAlmostGive.org, individuals can find ways to make a donation, search for volunteering opportunities in their community or get involved in a charity that aligns with their interests. Visitors are linked to non-profit organizations, representing a breadth of causes, including the American Red Cross, United Way of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Habitat for Humanity.
“We are continuously inspired by the tremendous generosity of the American public and by ongoing examples of how our citizens reach out to respond to need,” said Judy Vredenburgh, President & CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. “This campaign by The Advertising Council is a tremendous public service because it makes it easier for citizens to support the causes and organizations of their choice. We salute the Ad Council for the meaningful step that they are taking.”
The website also enables visitors to search by their zip codes to find volunteer opportunities in their communities and/or to donate to more than one million charities through partnerships with websites that aggregate ways to help others: Network for Good, VolunteerMatch and USA Freedom Corps.
“There is a website at the heart of this campaign for an excellent reason: the Internet has done more than any other medium to enable people to act on their charitable impulses. You can transform yourself from an ‘almost giver’ into a ‘giver’ – and accomplish something truly good -- with just a few clicks of a mouse,” said Bill Strathmann, CEO of
www.networkforgood.org, a website that has processed more than $100 million in donations for more than 22,000 charities since its inception in 2001.
"This is an impressive team with a timely message," said Greg Baldwin, Executive Officer of VolunteerMatch. "We are proud to have been asked to be a part of it, and are looking forward to helping people from across the country find their own way to put the power of generosity to good use."
Television and Internet advertising are launching this week, and radio and print ads will also be made available. The new television PSAs feature voiceovers by Stockard Channing and Roy Scheider. To view the new PSAs, please visit
http://www.adcouncil.org/default.aspx?id=367.
“The Ad Council has historically been known as the advertising industry’s ‘Gift to America.’ For the first time they have created a campaign that benefits the entire non-profit community,” said Judy Hu, Chair of The Advertising Council, and Global Executive Director, Advertising & Branding, GE. “I truly believe this extraordinary campaign will inspire Americans to do more to help each other and, in doing so, make our nation stronger and the lives of our fellow citizens better.”
The Ad Council, in partnership with Lightspeed Research, conducted an online survey among 600 adults in August to test the new television PSAs to ensure they would be effective. According to the survey, 75 percent of the respondents who viewed the PSAs reported that they would take at least one action, such as donating or volunteering as a result.
The television spots and Web banners are being distributed to networks, stations and websites nationwide and will appear in advertising time and space that is donated by the media. Several media companies have pledged to support the PSAs. These media companies include: CBS Television Network, Cablevision and Rainbow Media, Comcast Spotlight, Fox Networks Group, Discovery Networks, Hearst-Argyle Television, Tribune Broadcasting and Superstation WGN and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
In addition to the unveiling of the campaign this morning, the Generous Nation PSAs will be featured at the Advertising Week’s Opening Gala tonight in New York City. As part of Advertising Week, the Ad Council also launched a weeklong blood drive today to encourage the entire New York City ad agency community (as well as the general public) to donate throughout the week. Furthermore, the Ad Council is participating in the "Advertising Futures" high school program through which New York City teenagers are creating underage drinking PSAs, which will be judged during Advertising Week with the winning ad running in
The New York Times.
The Advertising Council
The Ad Council (
www.adcouncil.org) is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has effected, and continues to affect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives.
Non-Profit 
