VIDEO: FOR THE FIRST TIME, VFW IS USING TV TO
RAISE
MONEY -- They will run on Biography, Discovery
Health,
ESPN News, Fine Living and TV Land. The ads
will also be posted on YouTube.
The VFW has produced two excellent TV spots to
raise funds to help veterans and the troops.
What is interesting to note in the first video
posted below is the not-so-subtle message of how our country is not
caring for our troops and veterans, so the VFW has to pick up the slack.
Or, if your browser allows, use the embedded
player below.
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Or, if your browser allows, use the embedded
player below.
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Feeling the financial strain of caring for soldiers returning from wars
in both Afghanistan and Iraq, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United
States is advertising on television for donations for the first time in
its 108-year history.
The group, which started in 1898 after the Spanish-American War, is
running the ads to solicit donations to help soldiers returning from the
war zones and the families of those still deployed.
According to the Pentagon, 1.4 million soldiers have served in Iraq and
Afghanistan since 2001. About 38,000 have been injured.
Two weeks ago, President Bush said he expected about 5,700 troops to
return by the end of the year with another 25,000 to return by next
summer. Congress has also debated legislation that could bring more than
100,000 soldiers back to the U.S. as early as next year.
This is putting a strain on the organization, which offers financial
assistance for families of deployed soldiers, helps veterans file
benefits claims, and has a free phone card service to help active-duty
personnel and VA patients get in touch with family.
The group also sponsors scholarship and educational outreach, youth
activities and community service.
“We reach out to potential supporters in many ways, including direct
mailings, local events and via our web page” said Jerry Newberry,
director of communications for the VFW.
The commercials and the accompanying Web site, he said, are a way for
the group to educate the public about programs and services the VFW
provides, and encourage them to support our efforts with a contribution.
“Contributions from individuals make up the bulk of the VFW’s annual
budget, and allow us to implement programs to assist our country’s
veterans,” Newberry said.
The VFW launched the television advertising campaign Monday.
The commercials, a one-minute version and a two-minute version, were
produced by Barton Cotton, a Baltimore marketing agency. The ads began
running Monday and will continue through the week on Discovery Military,
The Game Show Network and History International.
Next week they will begin a run on Biography, Discovery Health, ESPN
News, Fine Living and TV Land. The ads will also be posted on YouTube.
The commercials will be backed by a 24-hour call center and contain
unique Internet addresses and toll-free numbers for accurate
measurement. This will allow the VFW to create leads for prospective
donors.
Neither the VFW nor Barton Cotton would discuss financial particulars of
the campaign.
The commercials were created to elicit an emotional response and to show
what the VFW believes would happen to soldiers and their families if it
wasn’t there. The images are shown with a choir singing “Amazing Grace”
in the background. The tagline urges viewers to support America’s troops
and veterans by supporting the VFW.
The ads are targeted toward younger people who are not aware of the work
done by the organization, and also to inform the public on the needs of
the VFW, said Mark Blankenship, CEO of Barton Cotton.
The agency specializes in marketing for nonprofits and is the
agency-of-record for the VFW.
A growing number of businesses and nonprofits have discovered that
online technology can boost donations, according to Kelly McMackin, vice
president of cause marketing partnerships for Kintera Inc., a leading
provider of software and services for nonprofits.
A 2002 Kintera study involving data from more than 625 nonprofit events,
430,000 participants and 800,000 transactions found that groups that
raised money via the Internet generated more in both online and offline
contributions than those that did not use e-mail to solicit donations.
Partnerships boost donations, too.
In 2005, UNICEF inked an agreement with Hallmark to distribute the
greeting cards it had been making for nearly 80 years.
The partnership increased UNICEF’s card sales, and exposed the UN
organization to a broader and potentially younger buying audience.
-------------------------
Larry Scott --
Don't forget to read all of today's VA
News Flashes
(click here)
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