MARS Advertising Continues its Philanthropic Program, Start Small, throughout 2014

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Feb. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- MARS Advertising, Inc., a leading shopper marketing agency, announces today plans to continue its Start Small initiative throughout 2014. As part of this pledge, MARS' staff will help support a wide-array of organizations that deal with issues related to everything from homelessness to child welfare and education.

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"The Start Small initiative is an important extension of our commitment to drive growth for ourselves, our community and our clients," said Rob Rivenburgh, partner and chief operating officer. "Last year, our team had meaningful and valuable experiences with Start Small and are already making strides towards achieving this year's goal."

In 2013, MARS successfully launched Start Small with the ambitious goal of donating $1 million of agency time and funds to various charitable organizations throughout the year. Building upon its success, the agency is renewing and strengthening its dedication to the community by forging relationships with new charities and increasing the overall involvement of its internal team.

"We are always looking for new ways to support the communities that have given MARS a home to grow over the years," said Ken Barnett, global CEO. "Following the success of last year's program, our plan is to broaden the initiative in an effort to continue the positive impact it's had within our communities as well as the entire MARS team." 

Beyond the individual elements of this program listed below, MARS will also commit to random acts of kindness throughout the year to help further spread goodwill in its surrounding communities.

The key components of this year's Start Small initiative are:

Global Citizenship Day
MARS' annual Global Citizenship Day, which last year helped to donate a collective 2,000 agency hours, allows each of MARS' satellite offices to shut down for a day of volunteering together at a local charity.

Volunteer Sabbaticals
Following last year's success, MARS is once again offering employees the opportunity to apply for a month-long volunteer sabbatical at the charitable organization of their choice.

One of the first recipients, Debbie Feit, senior copywriter at MARS, donated her sabbatical utilizing her writing and marketing skills for two organizations serving the mental health community. "Balancing a fulltime job with family commitments doesn't leave much time for things like volunteering," said Debbie. "So being able to give my time to a cause I feel so strongly about—and get paid for doing it—well, that was truly a gift."

Individual Volunteer Time
Additionally, Martians will be given a bank of time to contribute to individual volunteering. MARS will support this initiative with a calendar of events while encouraging each employee to donate their time to causes they wish to support.

Interested in keeping up with MARS Advertising's Start Small Initiative? Be sure to check out MARS on Facebook, Twitter and follow their blog for updates on their activities and hard work!

About MARS
Founded in 1972, MARS Advertising Inc., is an international shopper marketing agency with over 40 years of experience and a proven track record of profoundly impacting the growth of brands through bold thinking, big ideas and actions that drive sustainable, profitable growth for clients. Known for driving shopper consumption and creating a change in consumer behavior, MARS has been named the number one rated shopper marketing agency, five of the past six years, according to The Hub Magazine. MARS is proudly certified by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the largest third party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the US. MARS has 11 office locations throughout North America and the United Kingdom with more than 300 employees.

For more information about MARS, visit www.marsusa.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Graybeal
Overit
Phone: 518.465.8829 x 215
[email protected]

SOURCE MARS Advertising, Inc.