Federal Citizen Information Center Launches PSA Campaign To Promote USA.gov Web Portal

July 30, 2007 | 9:47 am

WASHINGTON, July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Looking for information on Social Security? Or maybe government auctions? Well the Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) is here to help. FCIC has launched a new public service announcement (PSA) campaign to raise consumer awareness about the abundance of information that is easily available at the recently renamed USA.gov Web site (formerly FirstGov.gov). Beginning in July, the campaign consists of television commercials, print ads and a radio spot developed by Campbell-Ewald that tout how easy it is to find government information on countless topics of interest. A one-stop destination for government information, USA.gov covers everything from applying for student loans to learning about federal benefits to citizen-focused information collected from the U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Citizen Services and Communications.

Television spots called "Ask the Government," which vary in lengths from ten to sixty seconds, feature humorous situations of everyday consumers approaching random government employees - who may not necessarily be the best source for the information they're seeking. In one execution, a family in a station wagon approaches a park ranger in a forest to ask how to apply for student loans for their children. In another, a newlywed couple knocks on the window of a space shuttle to ask the astronauts inside how to change a name on a driver's license. "Need federal, state or local government information?" the announcer asks. "Go to the official source: USA.gov." The spots direct consumers to the USA.gov Web site or the telephone hotline at 1 (800) FED-INFO (1-800-333-4636).

"This campaign builds on the premise that no single person in government can possibly know everything there is to know about government, but the USA.gov Web site really is that one-stop resource," said Mark Simon, executive vice president, executive creative director at Campbell-Ewald.

In addition to television, the campaign consists of a sixty-second radio spot that takes the form of a quiz show where government employees - a park ranger, a judge and an astronaut - struggle to answer the question, "Where do you find a government auction?" Print elements include magazine and newspaper ads that use strong visuals to communicate how easy USA.gov is to use. In one, an image of a pet rock with the caption "Pets Made Easy" is juxtaposed with a picture of a laptop with the caption "Government Made Easy." The premise is applied to a second ad called "Commuting Made Easy" that features a man wearing a jet pack next to the "Government Made Easy" laptop.

"The name change to USA.gov was driven directly by consumer feedback. In fact, last year more than 600,000 people typed 'usa.gov' into their browsers when searching for government information," said Todd Carter, senior vice president, management supervisor at Campbell-Ewald. "USA.gov is intuitive and describes what the site is all about - gathering valuable, trustworthy information into a single, easy-to-navigate Web destination."

In addition to the general market campaign, FCIC is launching its first Spanish-language campaign to drive traffic to the Spanish version of the site located at GobiernoUSA.gov. This site provides similar information as the English-language version and is targeted to the Hispanic community with topics tailored especially for them. The campaign was developed jointly with Campbell-Ewald and Hispanic agency Accentmarketing and is being provided to Spanish-language media nationwide.

FCIC and the USA.gov site provide a wide variety of informational resources aimed at U.S. citizens, businesses and nonprofits, government employees and visitors to the U.S.:

     * Citizens - Features topics such as "Get or Renew a Passport" and
       "Government Jobs"
     * Businesses and Nonprofits - Covers information and applicable laws and
       regulations
     * Government Employees - Provides summaries of government benefits,
       grants, jobs and workplace issues
     * Visitors to the United States - Includes topics covering travel, study
       or work in the U.S.

ABOUT FCIC

For over 35 years, the Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) has been a trusted one-stop source for answers to questions about consumer problems and government services. Consumers can get the information they need in three ways: by calling toll-free 1 (800) FED-INFO, through printed publications, or through information posted on FCIC's family of Web sites:

     www.USA.gov
     www.pueblo.gsa.gov
     www.kids.gov
     www.consumeraction.gov

ABOUT CAMPBELL-EWALD

Campbell-Ewald is the nation's sixth largest advertising and marketing communications agency network, with more than 1,300 employees and offices in Detroit, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York and Washington, D.C. A part of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), Campbell-Ewald partners with a score of national brands, including ACDelco, Alltel, Chevrolet, Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, Michelin, OnStar, the U.S. Navy and the United States Postal Service.

For more information on Campbell-Ewald, visit www.campbell-ewald.com.