Initiative takes the initiative to carve a better world for children

The performance-led media communications company from the Interpublic Group has launched an advertising campaign to help promote a better world for children.

Initiative, the performance-led media communications company from the Interpublic Group, has launched an advertising campaign to help promote a better world for children. The agency aims to raise US$1 million in the process.

Initiative has partnered with its sister network McCann Erickson, to work on the campaign to develop the concept and manage translations, adaptations and trafficking in all targeted markets.

Produced by the Puerto Rican creative agency Sajo Garcia Alcazar, the creative focusses on changing the status of young people living in developing communities. It drives people to Free The Children's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/weday, and encourages them to 'like' it. For every 'like', Free The Children's partners donate one US dollar to the initiative.

Mauricio Sabogal, president, world markets, Initiative, says, "It is really important that global companies such as Initiative play their part in charitable activities. This campaign is a testament to the power of the Initiative network - our creativity and the relationships we have around the world with our media partners."

"Whether through fundraising or online engagement, social media plays a key role for us, and we are always looking for ways it can support and enhance the work we do with youth domestically, and in our developing communities," says Craig Kielburger, co-founder, Free The Children.

The campaign will be launched in over 70 markets around the world, without spending any money on media or creative. In order to do this, Initiative has partnered with some of the world's largest media owners around the world to run the campaign on TV, radio, online, e-mail, outdoor, and in newspapers and magazines.

Lynn De Souza, chairperson and CEO, Lintas Media Group, remarks, "We have partnered with media companies such as Big FM, Radio City, My FM, Hello FM, Radio Mirchi, Colors, and Times Network, who have provided free space for this initiative. We have secured media space in excess of Rs 50 million for this cause."

The campaign will run from December 26, 2011, to January 31, 2012.

Last year, in one such effort, Initiative, through its first-ever free advertising campaign for charity, managed to increase average donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation by 300 per cent.

For the record, Free The Children is one of the world's largest networks of children helping children through education, with more than one million young people involved in programmes in 45 countries around the world. Its mission is to free children from poverty and exploitation, and its signature event is 'We Day', which brings together entertainers, social justice leaders and student leaders to help create positive change.