The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - (Page 4) SHOCK AND AWE Continued from page 1 Mueller, who encouraged nonprofits to take risks but to stick to “smart, strategic” ideas.“It’s irresponsible if you don’t do the most powerful, provocative campaign to reach the most people,” said Mueller. Serve has donated more than $8 million of time and services for cause campaigns since 2002, which includes using guerrilla (unconventional marketing tactic that maximizes exposure with minimal funds), stickers of children peering out of garbage cans to highlight child abuse and images of bullet-ridden, bleeding safety signs to condemn gun violence. The UWGM has moved forward with other campaigns, including images of pregnant teenage boys, to shed light on Milwaukee’s high teen pregnancy rate. One outdoor campaign featured writing on billboards and buses “For a good time, call” in child-like handwriting, and more than 14,000 callers were greeted by a teen mom talking about pregnancy over a baby’s screams. The campaigns are meant to alarm the Milwaukee community, and the city is taking notice. The Milwaukee public school system agreed to place posters about teen pregnancy struggles in eighth-grade classrooms and high schools. UWGM and Serve are beginning to develop a pregnancy awareness campaign for the city’s fourthgrade children in concert with the city’s health department. But Mueller warned:“If your ad doesn’t get seen by someone first, it doesn’t really matter what you’re going to say.” The Montana Meth Project Foundation doesn’t have to worry about exposure. It is the largest advertiser in Montana and runs ads during the local feeds of shows like American Idol and The Simpsons. In the ads they are doing more than just frying an egg, like the famous “This is your brain on drugs” ad. The television ads have actors as drugged-out teens breaking into houses or hitting parents, in an attempt to reduce teen first-time methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine stimulates the central nervous system and the can be highly addictive, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).The nonprofit, founded by businessman Thomas A. Siebel, uses powerful researched-based print, radio, television and billboard advertisements about the drug’s risks. “You have to get them to relate. We need to communicate with them in ways and places they can listen to,” said Nitsa Zuppas, Siebel Foundation’s executive director. Only alcohol and marijuana beat out meth use in some Western and Midwestern states, according to the federal DEA. “You can’t be in any of these communities and not see devastation. It’s incredible,” said Zuppas. Researchers found that teens thought there was little risk to meth use and even cited benefits for use, like alleviating boredom, losing weight and increasing energy. The project tackled the drug use as a consumer campaign and developed hard-hitting ads that resonated with focus groups. The project focused on addiction -the main component that turned kids off to meth use -- and de- pas. “They need to be able to see themselves in that situation. We made sure the risk was in line with reality and shows the potential outcomes in an effort to get them not to use it.” Film notables, like Oscar-nominated director and producer Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, whose work includes Babel and 21 Grams, and Darren Aronofsky, who directed Requiem for a Dream, have directed the project’s television ads. Montana teenagers’ meth use has dropped more than 44 percent since 2005 mediacy. One television advertisement features a man discussing that “irreversible consequences” global warming are 30 years away and won’t affect him, but steps away to show a speeding train ready to hit a little girl with a tagline explaining, “There is still time.” “The feedback was that we’re not attuned to the climate issues. People have seen that ad and said,‘Oh my God, what if I’m wrong?’ and changed their mind,” said Tony Kreindler, national media director for EDF. “That ad is designed to convey the urgency of the climate change issue, a threat that people might feel is somewhat distant. It lets people know it’s not too late.” Kreindler said that another EDF ad “turned some heads and raised some eyebrows” on Capitol Hill by featuring Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.), Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-Mont.) and Gov. Jon Huntsman (R-Utah) in their state’s pristine settings urging Congress to act on global warming. “Within certain circles, that’s provocative, as well. The settings reflect where they are and directly saying to Congress, ‘You have to do something,’” said Kreindler.The governors volunteered their time and EDF spent approximately $3 million on broadcasting the ads in 11 states, including spots during Meet the Press. Using big names to promote large causes isn’t new to nonprofits.When People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) started in 1980, the Norfolk, Va.based nonprofit exposed animal cruelty by sharing undercover information with the media. But the organization had to “change with the times” to get its information out, according to Michael McGraw, a PETA spokesman. “The media has become so sensationalized, and down-right tabloid, and its increasingly more challenging to get these cruelty issues in the news,” said McGraw.“A number of advertising and marketing campaigns try to cut through the clutter with competing news.We’ve had to rely on provocative tactics and use celebrities to get the public attention for issues.” PETA, (above) uses celebrity clout, while Serve Marketing (right) tries shocking audiences. veloped television ads that show teen drug users attacking parents, robbing houses and pimping out others – all for meth money. One ad shows a boy overdosing while his friends get high in the same room and in another a girl promises that for $50 men can do “anything you want”to her and her sister. “Advertising is very effective. We wanted to un-sell kids on meth,” said Zup- with the aggressive campaign and stricter laws,according to the Montana Department of Justice, and Wyoming,Arizona, Idaho and Illinois are duplicating the campaign. Other campaigns have to catch attention around the world. Issues concerning global warming are receiving more media attention, but the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a New York City-based nonprofit, wanted to increase the issue’s im- Some anti-fur ads feature celebrities,like Simple Plan band members and actress Persia White, holding a skinned fox carcass paired with the slogan,“Here’s the rest of your coat.” It provokes consumers to consciously think about where the fur came from. McGraw said that PETA works with a “small advertising budget” since all celebrities and most photographers, make-up Shock And Awe, page 6 4 SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 THE NONPROFIT TIMES www.nptimes.com http://peta.org http://peta.org http://www.nptimes.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 Shock And Awe Makes An Impression That Familiar Feeling Lessons From 'Lenny' Grab Attention of Millennials Contents Protected From Whom? Information Sharing Donors Want More Briefs Diversity Recruitment Calendar Catholic Fundraising Guide NPT Jobs Resource Directory The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Lessons From 'Lenny' Grab Attention of Millennials (Page 1) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Lessons From 'Lenny' Grab Attention of Millennials (Page 2) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 3) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 4) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 5) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 6) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 7) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Contents (Page 8) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Protected From Whom? (Page 9) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Information Sharing (Page 10) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Donors Want More (Page 11) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Briefs (Page 12) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Diversity Recruitment (Page 13) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Calendar (Page 14) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Calendar (Page 15) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Catholic Fundraising Guide (Page 16) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Catholic Fundraising Guide (Page 17) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Catholic Fundraising Guide (Page 18) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - NPT Jobs (Page 19) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Resource Directory (Page 20) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Resource Directory (Page 21) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Resource Directory (Page 22) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Resource Directory (Page 23) The NonProfit Times - September 15, 2008 - Resource Directory (Page 24)
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