Ad Council and Clear Channel Communities™ Launch Unprecedented Commitment to Reduce Childhood Obesity
New York, May 2, 2012 – The Ad Council, the largest producer of national public service campaigns in the U.S., and Clear Channel Communities™, the community engagement brand of Clear Channel, are launching Healthy Habits, a new campaign designed to address childhood obesity and promote We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition)®, a national education program from the National Institutes of Health. A series of radio and Web public service advertisements (PSAs), along with a new online destination, launched this week in an effort to encourage families throughout the country to lead a healthier lifestyle. The campaign is an extension of the Ad Council’s national childhood obesity prevention efforts with the Federal government.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of overweight and obese children has more than tripled over the past three decades in some groups. Furthermore, studies show that more than 30 percent of children and teens in America are either obese or overweight.
Initiated in January 2012, Clear Channel Communities provides a quarterly spotlight on a leading national non-profit organization or program that is working to address critical issues and causes primarily in one of four focus areas: family and social impact; health and wellness; education and literacy; and music and arts. The first partnership, which kicked off in January, was with DonorsChoose.org, the award-winning non-profit dedicated to funding local teachers’ classroom projects. The Healthy Habits campaign was Clear Channel Communities’ chosen initiative for the second quarter after an extensive review process.
“At Clear Channel we believe it is our responsibility to address some of the serious challenges facing the local communities in which we live and work by using our reach to promote action,” said Jessica King, director of community engagement for Clear Channel. “Developing healthy eating and physical activity habits as an entire family can positively impact many areas of a child’s life. We hope this campaign shines a light on those benefits and subtly reminds parents to take small steps to ensure a healthier future for their families.”
The Healthy Habits campaign will air nationally on all 850 Clear Channel Media and Entertainment radio stations in 150 markets during the next three months beginning this week. Clear Channel Communities’ commitment includes $30 million in donated air time for the PSAs and digital placement on all station websites. The series of English and Spanish-language radio spots, created pro bono by ad agency executive Lee Seidenberg, in conjunction with Clear Channel’s Creative Services Group (CSG), promote physical activity and healthy eating. The ads cleverly illustrate the small steps you can take every day to keep you and your family healthy. The PSAs encourage listeners to visit iheartradio.com/HealthyHabits to find hundreds of healthy tips, recipes and resources provided by NIH’s We Can! program to help their families live a healthier lifestyle.
“Clear Channel has been an exemplary media partner throughout our history, providing support for a number of critically important social issues. This marks the first time we’re collaborating with Clear Channel Communities on one specific issue, childhood obesity, with a significant commitment over a dedicated period of time,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “Childhood obesity is an epidemic in our country and I’m confident that these PSAs will continue to encourage families to take the steps needed to lead a healthier lifestyle and provide the resources to help them do so.”
The PSAs will air on stations including iconic brands such as Z100, 106.7 Lite fm, 103.5 KTU, Q104.3 and Power 105.1 in New York City, KFI AM 640 and KIIS FM in Los Angeles, WDAS in Philadelphia, V103 in Chicago, 700WLW in Cincinnati, 93.3 FLZ in Tampa and SUNNY 99.1 FM in Houston, as well as Spanish-language stations including Mega 95.5 fm in Chicago and 103.5 Super X in Miami.
Clear Channel Media & Entertainment has long led the industry in both the quantity and breadth of community service programs at the local, regional and national levels. It has been the largest single contributor of media time to the Ad Council for the past five years.
The Ad Council has been developing campaigns addressing childhood obesity prevention with the Federal government since 2005.
We Can!
We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition) is a national education program from the National Institutes of Health, that promotes healthy weight in children and youth aged 8 through 13 through improved food choices, increased physical activity, and reduced screen time. We Can! focuses on reaching parents and families as a primary group for influencing young people, and includes outreach to community organizations, national-level partners, and media to disseminate its messages. Program resources include parent and youth curricula; additional tip sheets and tools; guidance for community organizations on partnership outreach and participant recruitment/retention; and technical assistance/training, designed to enable communities and partners to adapt the program to fit their specific needs. http://www.nih.gov/wecan
The Ad Council
The Ad Council (www.adcouncil.org) is a private, non-profit organization that marshals volunteer talent from the advertising and communications industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and non-profit communities to deliver critical messages to the American public. The Ad Council has produced, distributed and promoted thousands of public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies in issue areas of health & safety, community and education.