Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Launches Multi-Media Advertising Campaign, Unprecedented in Its 115-Year History

Creative Work From Hill Holliday and Donated Media Space Enables Message to Reach At-Risk Teens, Families and Broaden Donor Base

On November 1, Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston (BGCB) will launch a major print, outdoor and online advertising campaign, unprecedented in its 115-year history. The pro bono campaign, themed “In These Hands,” aims to raise awareness among inner-city youth of BGCB programs at a time when the number of gunshot wounds and other acts of violence among Boston teens and adolescents has risen dramatically. It also aims to broaden donor support to enable BGCB to serve more youth in need.

BGCB currently serves nearly 14,000 children and teens across Boston and in Chelsea. Yet there are approximately 20,000 youth in BGCB’s service area without access to quality after-school programming, as identified by a 2007 Bain & Company report.

Josh Kraft, BGCB’s Nicholas President and CEO, said, “This campaign is a gift from Hill Holliday and a whole range of media outlets to the children and teens of Boston and Chelsea. It’s a gift that could literally mean the difference of life to a kid. We are deeply honored by the generosity of many, especially the talented team at Hill Holliday, who made this possible.”

The series of powerful ads conveys the choices that many youth face today, especially in urban neighborhoods, and how those choices affect their futures. Each ad shows a young person’s hand with compelling copy that teens who were involved in the creative review process called “honest,” “cool,” and “not the usual lecturing words we often hear from adults.” The hands photographed for the campaign belong to Club members and were selected to represent the diversity of BGCB’s membership. BGCB helps youth make positive choices by providing a safe haven with caring adult role models, and programs that build skills, confidence and hope for the future.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston to help them gain the visibility they need to serve more youth. BGCB’s dedicated staff does such an outstanding job of addressing the needs of Boston’s at-risk youth population,” said Mike Sheehan, Hill Holliday’s chief executive officer. “I think this campaign is exceptional because it meets the challenging task of reaching both club members and their parents as well as the funding public who help keep these clubs running and vibrant.”

Doug Gould, “In These Hands” Creative Director, said, “We decided to use children’s hands in this campaign because hands are a powerful symbol of the choices we make: they can high-five or they can slap. Also, two clasping hands comprise Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston’s logo, sending a powerful message that we are strong when we are together, and together we make good choices.”

Hill Holliday developed the ads and a related web site, www.investinachild.org, to help parents, teens and potential donors learn more about how they can get involved.

BGCB approached Hill Holliday about the pro-bono campaign in 2007 after learning from the Mayor’s Office that many families in our service area were not aware of the accessibility and affordability of the after-school programs. In addition, BGCB had committed to a major growth plan to double the number of deeply engaged Club members by 2013, in order to address the service gap identified by Bain & Company, and needed a way to fund the initiative.

The broad reach of the campaign is possible because of donated ad space from The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Clear Channel Outdoor (billboards) and Taxi Media, Wall Decaux Street Furniture, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, Boston Metro, Captivate Network, Boston Women’s Business, Boston Magazine, Boston Common Magazine, Community Magazines, and WHDH.com.

Hill Holliday has long been committed to helping deserving non-profits to spread their message. Together, the creative team at Hill Holiday contributed pro-bono services with a value of $250,000.

To learn more, please visit www.investinachild.org.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston

Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston (BGCB) helps at-risk boys and girls develop the qualities needed to become responsible citizens and leaders. BGCB has a 115-year history rooted in partnership with government, schools, the business community, major non-profits such as hospitals, museums, and human service agencies, and families. We serve nearly 14,000 children and teens, ages 6 to 18, in our 9 Clubs, and through our programs in partnerships with the Boston Police Department and the Camp Harbor View Foundation. We help them stay safe when they need it most – after school, on weekends, during the summer – and where they need it most – in communities with prevalent crime, poverty and substance abuse. Our six core programs focus on education; technology; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; life skills and leadership development. BGCB is an affiliate of Boys & Girls Clubs of America and The United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. For more information, visit us on the web at www.bgcb.org.

About Hill Holliday

Hill Holliday, owned by the Interpublic Group of Companies and headquartered in Boston with offices in New York, Miami and Greenville, S.C., is one of the top communication agencies in the nation. Hill Holliday has won every major award for advertising excellence and effectiveness and has among its roster of clients leading national and regional brands including Anheuser-Busch, AOL, Bank of America, Chili’s Grill & Bar, Cleveland Clinic, Covidien, CVS/pharmacy, Dunkin’ Donuts, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Liberty Mutual, The Massachusetts State Lottery, Novartis, Partners HealthCare, Procter & Gamble, the Rockport Company, TJX Companies, and Verizon Wireless. Hill Holliday can be found on the Web at www.hhcc.com.

Contacts

Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston
Jan E. Goldstein, 617-994-4723
jgoldstein {at} bgcb(.)org