Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) launched a multiplatform brand campaign that emphasizes a spirit of optimism and hope, reinforcing the positive benefits of the Clubs through the stories of its accomplished Alumni. Denzel Washington, a Boys & Girls Club alumnus and longtime spokesperson, helped to unveil the campaign – the organization’s first fully-integrated communications program, comprising interactive, broadcast, public relations, print, and outdoor components – at an event on Capitol Hill this past Wednesday.
The multi-media campaign showcases some of the Club’s well known alumni, including Denzel Washington, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Martin Sheen, Shaquille O’Neal, General Wesley Clark and others, not as they are but as they were – children with enormous potential. Every advertisement, whether print, out-of-home, television, or online, points to a new content-rich website at www.be-great.org where visitors can learn more about the featured celebrity alumni, find local Clubs and support the organization. Within the website, the alumni are taken out of traditional “celebrity” roles as spokespeople and given the opportunity to demonstrate how being members of the Boys & Girls Clubs helped shape their lives. The website also introduces an element of user-generated content, in that all Club alumni can add their names to the “wall of greatness.” In the coming months, the site will be enhanced to enable visitors to share their own personal Club stories.
The campaign introduces the themeline, “Be Great,” through the www.be-great.org website, online advertising, print, out-of-home and television commercials. The messaging debuted Wednesday with the website launch and a print ad in The Washington Post. Relying on donated media, the campaign aims to highlight the important role the Clubs play in the communities they serve, ultimately helping to drive community involvement and individual donations.
“We are thrilled to be rolling out our new branding effort, highlighting the Club’s message of hope,” said Roxanne Spillett, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “The campaign communicates the important role the Boys & Girls Clubs have played in our country. The ‘Be Great’ message is intended to resonate as a call to action that speaks to all key audiences, including kids, parents, potential donors, community members, and Club professionals. Furthermore, highlighting some of our successful alumni – including business leaders, sports heroes, actors and those who have entered the highest levels of government, from generals to presidents – in the campaign, underscores the message that the Clubs can have an overwhelmingly positive influence on a child’s life.”
The campaign was created by a multidisciplinary team at McCann Worldgroup San Francisco, including McCann Erickson, MRM Worldwide, and T.A.G., and Weber Shandwick Worldwide, which has led the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s public relations and advocacy efforts. McCann Worldgroup began working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in the spring of 2007.
“This is an amazing organization with a great story. We just had to tout their successes in a way that that was unique to the clubs,” said Gerald Lewis, group creative director, McCann Worldgroup San Francisco. “The non-profit space can be depressing at times, and we wanted to lift the Boys & Girls Clubs of America out of that space with a message of optimism,” added Geoff Edwards, creative director, T.A.G. San Francisco.
The campaign represents a number of “firsts” for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. It is the organization’s first fully-integrated campaign, utilizing a variety of media channels including a robust interactive component via the www.be-great.org website; the first campaign to feature a series of celebrated alumni as opposed to a single spokesperson; and the first time the organization has employed an interactive component soliciting alumni stories from the general public. This is also the first time that the Boys & Girls Clubs of America has embarked upon a strategic advocacy campaign in conjunction with the debut of a new public service announcement (PSA). Also significant is the number of out-of-home media venues made possible by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America being chosen by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) as a “charity of choice.”
“Boys & Girls Clubs of America is an outstanding organization with the power to transform lives, including my own. It’s been an honor to work with them over the past months on this branding effort,” said Joe Burton, chief operating officer, McCann Worldgroup San Francisco, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame member.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has been changing and saving young lives, providing hope and opportunity for kids who need them most. Today, some 4,300 Clubs serve some 4.8 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Known as The Positive Place for Kids, Boys & Girls Clubs can be found all across the country and on U.S. military bases throughout the world. Clubs provide young people 6-18 years old with guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff. In communities large and small, Clubs positively impact lives and help young people reach their full potential as productive, caring citizens. Key Boys & Girls Club programs emphasize leadership development; education and career exploration; community service; financial literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and family outreach. In a recent Harris Survey of Club alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their life. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.
About McCann Worldgroup San Francisco
McCann Worldgroup San Francisco creates connections and conversations with customers and prospects designed to actively advance the business of its clients and their brands. A fully integrated marketing services organization, McCann Worldgroup San Francisco is a digital center of excellence, with McCann Worldgroup’s largest CRM practice, highest creative rating and global reach. Clients include Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Cathay Pacific, HP, Microsoft, Nortel, and Xbox, among others. In the past year, McCann Worldgroup San Francisco also launched T.A.G. SF. McCann Worldgroup is part of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG).
