FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 7, 2005
Contact: ACF Press Office
(202) 401-9215
Adoption Public Service Advertising Campaign Wins ADDY Awards
HHS, Adoption Exchange Association and Advertising Council
PSA Campaign
Honored by American Advertising Federation
The Advertising Council, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services' Administration for Children and Families and the Adoption
Exchange Association, the Collaboration to Adoptuskids, announced today their
public service advertising (PSA) campaign to promote the adoption of children
from foster care was honored by the American Advertising Federation. The PSA
campaign won four Gold ADDYs including best public service TV campaign.
Introduced nationally in July 2004, the multi-media campaign was created pro
bono by kirshenbaum bond + partners and includes television, radio, print and
internet PSAs. The campaign issues a national call-to-action for parents to
adopt children from foster care by offering important, accurate information
about the foster care system and the adoption process. It also aims to
significantly increase awareness of the need to provide loving, permanent
homes for children in the foster care system, as well as to communicate to
prospective parents that they don’t have to be perfect to be a parent.
"We are tremendously excited that the American Advertising Federation has
given this campaign a prestigious award," said Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., HHS’
assistant secretary for children and families. "Not only is this campaign
creative, but it’s working. To date, over 4,500 children pictured on the
adoptuskids.org website have found permanent homes. This wonderful outcome is
a testament both to the power of creative advertising and the good hearts of
families all over America."
The ADDY Awards are the advertising
industry’s largest, most representative and arguably toughest competition,
recognizing and rewarding creative excellence in the art of advertising.
All of the PSAs direct viewers, listeners and readers to visit
www.adoptuskids.org or call 1-888-200-4005 for information on how they can
provide a permanent, loving home for a child. The television and radio PSAs
feature real life scenarios which highlight the everyday things in life that
make the most difference in being a good parent. All of the PSAs end with the
tagline "you don’t have to be a hero to be a hero" or "you don’t have to be
perfect to be a perfect parent."
"People's biggest fear about
adopting a child from foster care has nothing to do with the children, but
themselves. They simply fear that they won't be a good parent," said Rob
Feakins, vice chairman and executive creative director at kirshenbaum bond +
partners, "There's enormous insecurity when it comes to parenting. The idea
here is to reassure them by simply saying, sometimes just being there for a
child is all you need to do. These situations show parents being perfect
parents while being imperfect."
The Collaboration to Adoptuskids
is a multi-faceted, five-year, federally funded project whose purpose is to
recruit families to adopt the children waiting in foster care for permanency.
The Collaboration is managed by the Baltimore-based Adoption Exchange
Association (AEA) through a cooperative agreement with the Children's Bureau
of HHS. For more information on the Ad Council, go to:
www.adcouncil.org .
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news