American Red Cross Launches Holiday Ads with New Approach

Ads Encourage Shoppers to Give Something that Means Something

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross is unveiling a new holiday look this season with a series of advertisements focused on giving meaningful gifts.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090108/RedCrossLOGO)

The print and television ads encourage shoppers to "give something that means something" this holiday season and reflect the sentiment that despite the weak economy, consumers want and plan to give to charity this year. The television spots feature the voice of actor Ted Danson, who donated his time to the Red Cross.

"This year, we wanted our ads to take the consumer's perspective," said Peggy Dyer, chief marketing officer of the Red Cross. "While most Americans are feeling the impact of the difficult economy, they still want to give something meaningful, and we feel these ads reflect what our supporters and potential supporters have expressed."

The Red Cross partnered with advertising agency BBDO to create this new vision. The theme of the campaign is "Give something that means something" and features an animated character who strives to do the right thing.

The ads that appear before the holiday encourage people to consider symbolic gifts from the Red Cross catalog (www.redcross.org/gifts) for those on their list: things like a day's worth of shelter for someone forced from their home by disaster, or comfort kits for wounded service members in lieu of another pair of socks or other "stuff." The ads running immediately before the New Year ask people to make a resolution to help someone else, by making donations to the Red Cross.

"We chose this approach to tell our story because animation enables us to cut through the clutter over the holidays with a unique look and feel that fits the holiday spirit, while delivering a positive, hopeful message," said Linda Honan, EVP, Senior Creative Director, BBDO New York. "It allows people to see themselves in the ads, and relate to the madness of the holiday season through this character. The campaign encourages people to feel good about supporting the Red Cross."

Even though the country's economy continues to struggle, a recent Red Cross poll on charitable giving this holiday season finds that most Americans are still committed to donating to those in need this year, with 71 percent of respondents planning to give more or about the same to charity this year as they did last year. Moreover, nearly four in five people would rather have a charitable donation made in their honor than receive a gift they wouldn't use.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at blog.redcross.org.

About BBDO:
BBDO's mantra is "The Work. The Work. The Work." Every day, people in 288 offices in 80 countries work job by job and client by client, to create and deliver the world's most compelling commercial content. Today, BBDO is recognized as both the world's most creative and effective agency network. For the past five years, BBDO has been Network of the Year at Cannes as well as the world's most awarded agency network in The Gunn Report. In addition, BBDO is the number one ranked network across all marketing communication platforms in The Big Won report. And Effie Worldwide named BBDO the world's most Effective Agency Network in its inaugural Effie Effectiveness Index released this year. BBDO is part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE-OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), a leading global marketing and corporate communications company.

SOURCE American Red Cross