Campaign: United Way's Born Learning
Winner: United Way, Ad Council and Civitas
Though some families are aware that the preschool years are critical to a child's mental development, either many do not know exactly what actions to take to encourage learning
or they lack the time to prepare their child for school. In April 2005, United Way, in partnership with the Ad Council and Civitas, launched the Born Learning campaign to help
parents provide early learning opportunities for their children.
The linchpins of the Born Learning campaign are PSAs, which reinforce the point to parents that they can turn everyday activities, such as doing laundry or driving into quality
early learning moments for children. Offering tools and techniques, the PSAs assure parents that this will be easy and fun for them. Ad components (both in English and Spanish)
also urge parents and caregivers to visit the Web site for additional information and resources.
Since its launch three years ago, materials have been distributed to more than 6.1 million parents, positively affecting more than 2 million children.
Honorable Mentions
Metropolitan Transportation Authority for MTA "If You See Something, Say Something," 2008--To counter post-9/11 complacency, the MTA unveiled a new iteration of their "If You
See Something, Say Something" campaign, which has garnered an 89% awareness among riders.
National Treasury Employees Union for Federal Employees...They Work for U.S.--To showcase the important contributions federal employees make to the U.S., the NTEU launched its
first-ever public service campaign to dispel negative stereotypes.
The Intrepid Group for Utah Department of Transportation: "Litter Hurts"--This anti-litter campaign was launched in 2008 to help combat litter on Utah's roads.
The Vision Council for "Sight Matters: Look Into Your Eyes"--To promote quality vision care, the Vision Council created a PSA campaign that has generated over 50,000 placements
on TV, radio and in print.