You
may not immediately know us by name, but you do know
us. For 59 years, the Ad Council has created timely
and compelling public service messages for our nation.
Our slogans
and characters are more than memorable
— they raise awareness, inspire individuals to take
action, and save lives. The following results testify
to the power of the Ad Council’s messages to make lasting
and positive social change:
●Smokey
Bear and his famous words of wisdom, “Only
You Can Prevent Forest Fires,” are recognized by 95%
of adults and 77% of children. Launched in 1944, the
Smokey Bear Forest Fire Prevention campaign is one of
the longest-running and famous public service advertising
campaigns in history.
●Since
the Ad Council began its “Friends
Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” campaign,
70% of Americans have tried to stop someone from driving
drunk. In 1998, America experienced the lowest number
of alcohol-related fatalities (15,935) since the U.S.
Department of Transportation began maintaining these
records. The tagline
is the most recognized anti-drinking
and driving slogan in America.
●The
United Negro College Fund has been reminding
Americans that “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste,”
since 1972. UNCF has raised over $1.4 billion, and helped
more than 300,000 minority students graduate from college.
●Since
the
Crash Test Dummies, Vince and Larry, were
introduced to the American public in 1985, safety belt
usage has increased from 21% to 70%, saving an estimated
75,000 lives.
Since
creating the category of public service advertisements
(PSAs) in 1942, the Ad Council has played an increasingly
critical role in our changing society. The War Advertising
Council, a private, non-profit organization, was founded
to rally support for World War II-related efforts. The
War Ad Council produced PSA campaigns that raised $35
billion in War Bonds, encouraged the planting of 50
million Victory Gardens, reminded people that “Loose
Lips Sink Ships,” and recruited 2 million
women into the job force through the powerful symbol,
"Rosie
the Riveter." After the War, the President
asked the War Ad Council to continue as a peacetime
public service organization to help solve the most pressing
social issues of the day. Hence, the Ad Council was
born.
The Ad Council’s mission is to identify a select number
of significant public issues and stimulate action on
those issues through communications programs that make
a measurable difference in our society. To that end,
the Ad Council marshals
volunteer talent from the advertising and communications
industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources
of the business and non-profit communities to create
awareness, foster understanding and motivate action.
As
the nation’s leading producer of PSAs, the Ad Council
has created more than 1,000 public service campaigns
concerning critical issues such as crime prevention
and drug abuse, and has brought issues such as child
abuse, recycling and AIDS to national attention. In
1995, to maximize the impact of all of the campaigns,
the Ad Council’s Board of Directors voted unanimously
to adopt a new, ten-year initiative to help Americans
who can’t speak for themselves — our children. Dubbed
“Commitment 2000,” its objective is to raise awareness
and stimulate individuals to take positive action, so
that our nation’s children will have a better chance
of achieving their full potential.
For
the past two years the Ad Council has been frequently
listed as a Top 25 Internet Advertiser, according to
Nielsen/NetRatings rankings,
registering approximately 11 billion impressions in
2000. The organization’s Website, www.adcouncil.org,
features all of the campaigns. The Ad Council’s pledge
is to remain committed and vigilant
in establishing a foothold
for public service advertising in a rapidly changing
media landscape.
Since
the tragedies of September 11th, Americans have experienced
profound grief and immobilizing fear that has shaken
beliefs, threatened security and deepened the economic
decline. The Ad Council reached out to the federal government
as well as important national non-profits with an offer
to create and also distribute their crisis-related messages
to media outlets nationwide. These new messages are
designed to inform, inspire and involve all Americans
to participate in activities that will strengthen the
nation and help win the war on terrorism.
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