In an effort to help ease the transition and readjustment challenges facing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in their return home, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) joined with the Ad Council today to launch a national multimedia public service advertising (PSA) campaign. The campaign directs veterans to the first and only community exclusive to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans through a new social networking website, www.CommunityofVeterans.org, where they can listen, share their experiences and access resources. The PSAs are being distributed to media outlets nationwide this week to coincide with Veterans Day (November 11).
The campaign aims to address the mental health consequences of combat, which threaten to overwhelm a new generation of veterans. The 1.7 million men and women who have served, or are currently serving, in Iraq and Afghanistan are facing an increased risk of mental health issues. Nearly 20 percent of military servicemembers who have returned — 300,000 in all — report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment, according to a RAND Corporation study released in April 2008. Untreated mental health conditions can cause or aggravate other debilitating problems in the veterans’ community including high rates of unemployment, suicide, homelessness, substance abuse, divorce and child abuse.
Created pro bono by ad agency BBDO New York, the campaign seeks to increase the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who seek treatment for mental health issues by connecting them with other veterans with whom they can discuss the issues they face as they readjust to civilian life. The campaign includes television, radio, print, outdoor and Web advertising. The TV spots feature Iraq veterans who are Purple Heart recipients.
The ads direct audiences to a comprehensive new website, www.communityofveterans.org, designed for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. The site provides a range of information that can help with their transitional and readjustment issues, including a searchable database of national and local resources on topics such as jobs, education and health. A private online community exclusive to these veterans will foster connections among veterans and allow them to communicate with each other. The website and private community were developed by BarkleyREI.
“IAVA is thrilled to launch such a historic campaign to ease the readjustment for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Less than 1 percent of the U.S. population has served in the current conflicts and it’s critical that returning troops are able to connect with people who understand what they’ve been through. The PSAs and groundbreaking social networking site will go a long way toward helping these heroes readjust,” said Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “IAVA is grateful to the Ad Council and BBDO for their extraordinary commitment to our country’s newest generation of servicemembers. Together, we’re turning the page on how veterans were treated after Vietnam.”
More than 60 percent ofAmericans say that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan “never,” “hardly ever” or “sometimes” have an impact on their daily lives, according to a survey released today by IAVA and the Ad Council. Additionally, when Americans hear the word “veteran,” only 2 percent said they think of Iraq veterans and zero referenced those serving in Afghanistan. While veterans of World War II represented 12 percent of the U.S. population, less than 1 percent of the current population has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. This contributes to the isolation they feel once they are home and makes connecting with other veterans challenging.
“We are very proud to join with IAVA on this critical campaign designed to support the men and women who have served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of the Ad Council. “Our new campaign will shed light on the reajdustment challenges facing today’s veterans and help initiate a much-needed dialogue among veterans, their families and the general public.”
Most Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are married, and 700,000 children in America have had at least one parent deployed during the conflicts. It is therefore a conservative estimate to predict that those immediately affected by these wars will number at least three million people. More than 60 percent of these veterans are under the age of 30. Many veterans avoid seeking help because of the stigma around seeking treatment or being diagnosed with a mental illness. Those who have received help often cite their family as the catalyst; however, most families don’t know how to broach the subject constructively.
The Ad Council and IAVA will launch a complementary PSA effort in the coming months to engage the families and loved ones of these veterans, emphasizing to them the importance of their role in the process in beginning a discussion with their veterans about the mental health issues they may face. The PSAs direct audiences to a second website to learn how to start a constructive dialogue with the veterans in their lives.
“When the Ad Council first approached BBDO about working on IAVA we knew immediately that this was an effort we wanted to be a part of,” said Don Schneider, Executive Creative Director, BBDO New York. “We were honored not only to be chosen to work on this campaign, but with the veterans and families who inspired us and helped bring this campaign to life.”
The new PSAs and websites have been researched extensively and tested with veterans, their families and the general market. The ads are being distributed to approximately 33,000 media outlets nationwide. Per the Ad Council’s model, all of the ads will air and run in advertising time and space donated by the media. MTV has made an early commitment to support the new campaign through primetime content and on their social media channel, ThinkMTV. Additionally, AOL has donated their resources to design the campaign’s Web banners and has made a commitment along with Google to support the ads on Veterans Day and in the coming months. Launch activities will continue throughout the year. IAVA’s members will also help extend raise awareness of the campaign in communities nationwide.
Furthermore, beginning this week, an integrated social media program will extend the reach of the campaign on popular social networking sites and blogs targeted to service members and their families. The Society for New Communications Research (www.sncr.org), a non-profit foundation focused on new media and communications, will lend its expertise and resources to the campaign. SNCR’s Research Fellows and Vendor Council member Visible Technologies (www.visibletechnologies.com) will donate their time and technology to analyze and measure the effectiveness of the campaign and its online components.
BBDO
BBDO Worldwide is part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com). In 2008, BBDO was named Network of the Year at the International Advertising Festival in Cannes AND winner of The Gunn Report as the most awarded agency network in the world for the second year in a row. BBDO was also chosen Advertising Network of the Year by Campaign magazine for the second time in the past three years. To top it off, BBDO was ranked #1 by The Big Won as the most awarded global agency network across every marketing communications discipline ranging from above-the-line to below-the-line, online and offline.
IAVA
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is the nation’s first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan group for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Founded in 2004, IAVA has more than 125,000 active veteran members and civilian supporters in all 50 states. Its mission is to improve the lives of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. For more information, visit www.iava.org.
SNCR
The Society for New Communications Research is a nonprofit global think tank dedicated to the advanced study of new communications tools, technologies and emerging modes of communication, and their effect on traditional media, professional communications, business and society. For more information, visit http://sncr.org.
The Advertising Council
The Ad Council (www.adcouncil.org) is a private, non-profit organization that marshals talent from the advertising and communications industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and non-profit communities to produce, distribute and promote public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies in issue areas such as improving the quality of life for children, preventive health, education, community well-being, environmental preservation and strengthening families.
