Major League Baseball Charities, in partnership with The Advertising Council, announced that they will launch a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign entitled “Welcome Back Veterans” on July 4th in baseball stadiums throughout the country. The program is designed to raise awareness and encourage all Americans to provide support for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The announcement was made at press conference at Major League Baseball Offices in Manhattan.
The PSAs are the second phase of an Ad Council partnership with MLB Charities on behalf of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, which kicked off in October with TV ads airing during the World Series, and ads featuring Oscar Award Winner Tom Hanks. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) collaborated with MLB and the Ad Council on the development of the campaign elements, as well as recruiting many of the veterans featured in the PSAs.
In addition to the new ads, Major League Baseball is extending the reach of these messages at the clubs through various promotions during the July 4th weekend and on September 11th, including pre-game ceremonies honoring veterans in their community, “Stars and Stripes” caps worn by all teams, special ceremonial home plates and bases adorned with “Welcome Back Veterans” and custom lineup cards with a place for a local veteran to place his or her signature.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans under the age of 24 have an unemployment rate that is three times the national average. Thousands of younger veterans begin their military service after high school. Following their service, many express the desire to go back to school, but have difficulty accomplishing their goals. Additionally, nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan – 300,000 in all – report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment, according to a new RAND Corporation study released in April 2008.
“Major League Baseball considers it both an obligation and a privilege to assist our troops in any way we can,” said Bob DuPuy, MLB President and Chief Operating Officer, and a veteran who served a year in Vietnam and received the Army Commendation Medal for his service. “Welcome Back Veterans was created to help our brave men and women make a successful transition to civilian life when their service to their country has ended. We ask that all Major League Baseball fans join us on July 4th weekend and on September 11th in this grand-scale effort to raise funds and bring awareness to this vital cause.”
The new campaign addresses reintegration of the returning soldiers. Created pro bono by advertising agency McCann Erickson in New York, the television, radio and web banner PSAs aim to bridge the gap between veterans and civilians and encourage the general public to visit www.welcomebackveterans.org to find out how they can help and access resources that address the needs of veterans.
“We are proud to continue our partnership with MLB Charities with this new series of PSAs that introduces Americans to a new generation of veterans,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of The Advertising Council. “When we tested the PSAs with focus groups, audiences felt compassionate and were motivated to find out how they could provide support.”
Coinciding with the debut at MLB games during the July 4th weekend, the PSAs will also be distributed to more than 16,000 media outlets throughout the country. Per the Ad Council’s model, they will run on-air in advertising time and space donated by the media.
“Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is grateful for the support this campaign demonstrates for our nation’s newest generation of service members,” said Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of IAVA. “It’s critical that the men and women serving in harm’s way know their country appreciates their sacrifice and this effort will go a long way toward conveying the nation’s gratitude.”
“We at McCann Erickson are truly honored to partner with our MLB client and Tom Hanks to welcome home our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. We believe that the general public will be as moved as we have been to hear their stories and to get to know these terrific people to whom we owe so much,” said Eric Keshin, Chief Operating Officer and North American Regional Director of McCann World Group.
IAVA and the Ad Council will launch a new series of PSAs, created pro bono by BBDO, designed to reach veterans and veterans’ families in November to coincide with Veterans Day.
About Major League Baseball Charities
Major League Baseball Charities is a not-for-profit corporation that provides support to local, national and international tax- exempt organizations to directly conduct or sponsor activities for the promotion of good health, physical education, public safety, medical research, literacy, educational or charitable purposes. In addition to supporting Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), the Official Charity of Major League Baseball, MLB Charities provides support to a number of other national charitable initiatives, including Little League Baseball, the National Urban League and the Jackie Robinson Foundation. The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball pays all administrative expenses for MLB Charities.
About 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.
About Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Founded in 2004, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is the nation’s first and largest group representing veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. IAVA is a non-profit and nonpartisan organization with more than 95,000 active veteran members and grassroots supporters in all 50 states. For more information, visit www.iava.org.
