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AD COUNCIL, NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN,
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND WIRELESS FOUNDATION PARTNER TO LAUNCH FIRST
EVER WIRELESS AMBER™ CAMPAIGN
New Ads debut in conjunction with National Missing Children’s
Day
NEW YORK, May 24, 2006 – The Advertising Council,
in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®
(NCMEC), The Wireless Foundation and the U.S. Department of Justice, launched
today a national, multi-media public service advertising (PSA) campaign
designed to raise awareness of Wireless
AMBER Alerts™ and encourage all wireless subscribers to aid
in the search for abducted children. The PSA campaign is the first to
address this technology and the ads will debut in time for National
Missing Children’s Day (May 25th).
Statistics show that when a child is abducted, the first three hours
are most critical to recovery efforts. Since its creation, the AMBER
Alert program has helped reunite more than 260 children with their
families. AMBER (“America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response”)
was created in 1997 when Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed with local
police to develop an early warning system to find abducted children. The
AMBER Alert program was soon adopted across the country and is a legacy
to Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl who was kidnapped in Arlington, Texas
and then murdered. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands have since established AMBER Alert programs.
The Wireless
AMBER Alerts initiative was launched in May 2005 as a way to extend
the AMBER Alert program by reaching out to the nearly 70% of the American
population that uses wireless devices. Sponsored by NCMEC, The Wireless
Foundation and the U.S. Department of Justice and created pro bono by
ad agency Merkley + Partners, the new PSA campaign is designed to educate
the public about Wireless AMBER Alerts, inspire cell phone users and other
wireless subscribers to register for the Alerts and, in turn, increase
the number of people who may be able to help in locating an abducted child.
“Wireless AMBER Alerts have the potential to extend the reach of
these critical messages to millions of people. We are proud to join NCMEC,
The Wireless Foundation and the U.S. Department of Justice in this potentially
life saving effort,” said Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of The
Advertising Council.
All wireless subscribers who are capable of receiving text messages,
and whose wireless carrier participates in the Wireless AMBER Alerts Initiative,
may opt in to receive free alerts by registering at www.wirelessamberalerts.org
or their wireless carrier’s website. Subscribers may designate up
to five geographic areas for which they would like to receive Wireless
AMBER Alerts.
"The Wireless AMBER Alerts initiative is a natural extension to
the AMBER Alert program," said Ernie Allen, NCMEC president and CEO.
"Everyone has a role to play in the search for an abducted child
and this effort allows anyone with a cell phone to get involved in the
search."
The campaign includes radio, newspaper, outdoor and Internet advertising,
which direct parents and all adults to visit www.wirelessamberalerts.org
to sign up for Wireless AMBER Alerts. To view the PSAs, please visit http://www.adcouncil.org/default.aspx?id=354.
"It is our hope that this compelling new PSA campaign will lead
wireless consumers all over the country to sign up to receive free text
messages when a child has been abducted in their area and join the effort
to help reunite that child with their family," said Steve Largent,
President of The Wireless Foundation.
The message here is quite simple: Most Americans now carry cell phones…and
these now can be used for the common good: to help alert Americans to
an “AMBER Alert,” said Andy Hirsch, Merkley and Partners Partner
and Executive Creative Director. “This campaign helps make them
aware of the power they literally have in their hands to help rescue an
abducted child. It is a call for them to join and unite in the fight against
this horrific crime and help our children.”
Per the Ad Council model, the PSAs are being distributed to more than
19,000 media outlets nationwide later this month and will run and air
in advertising time and space donated by the media.
"AMBER Alert is a proven tool for helping recover abducted children,"
said Regina B. Schofield, Assistant Attorney General and National AMBER
Alert Coordinator. "When people receive wireless AMBER Alerts on
their cell phones, there will be even more eyes and ears available to
help return children to their families."
Merkley + Partners
Merkley + Partners (www.merkleyandpartners.com) is a full service, integrated
marketing communications firm specializing in Consumer Advertising. Founded
in 1993, M+P currently has 214 employees and manages over $500MM in client
billing. Headquartered in New York City, clients include: Arby’s
Restaurant Group, Citigroup, E-Loan, the Ferrero Company, Mercedes-Benz,
Novartis and several others. M+P is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Omnicom
Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), a leading global marketing and communications
company.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation
with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting
mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 387,800
leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement
with more than 119,800 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery
of more than 102,200 children. For more information about NCMEC, call
its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site
at www.missingkids.com.
The Wireless Foundation
The Wireless Foundation is a non-profit organization that was formed by
member companies of CTIA-The Wireless Association(tm) in 1991. The Foundation
oversees a number of programs designed to put wireless technology to work
addressing the challenges of society.
www.wirelessfoundation.org.
U.S. Department of Justice
The Department of Justice's mission is to enforce the law and defend the
interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public
safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership
in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those
guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration
of justice for all Americans. www.usdoj.gov
The Advertising Council
The Ad Council 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.
To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org.
CONTACT:
Ellyn Fisher, The Ad Council, 212-984-1964,
efisher@adcouncil.org
Communications Department, NCMEC, 703-837-6111, media@ncmec.org
Roxanne Robbins, The Wireless Foundation, 202-785-0081, RRobbins@ctia.org
Catherine Sanders, DOJ, Office of Justice Programs, 202-307-0703, Catherine.E.Sanders@usdoj.gov
Jennifer Getschmann, Merkley + Partners, 212-366-3193, jgetschmann@merkleyandpartners.com
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