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AD COUNCIL
ANNOUNCES $1.3 BILLION IN DONATED MEDIA SUPPORT IN 2003 AND $250 MILLION
IN UPFRONT MEDIA COMMITMENTS SECURED FOR 2004 Media Support of Ad
Council PSAs Tops $1 Billion for Sixth Consecutive Year NEW YORK, May 6, 2004 - Despite a challenging economy and a competitive public service advertising (PSA) environment, campaigns produced by the Ad Council received more than $1.3 billion in donated media time and space during 2003, marking the sixth straight year the organization's campaigns received in excess of $1 billion in donated media support. The total ranked the Ad Council equivalent to the seventh largest advertiser in the United States in 2003. In a move that breaks from the 62-year old organization's traditional media outreach model, the Ad Council also announced today that it has secured unprecedented, upfront media commitments from approximately 20 media companies for 2004, totaling approximately $250 million. The donated media support and the upfront commitments were announced this morning at the Ad Council's Board of Directors meeting in New York. The 2004 upfront media commitments were secured from the following companies and will extend across all media properties: 360 Youth, ABC Television Network, Bloomberg, Charter Communications, Clear Channel Communications, College Sports Television, Comcast Cable, Cox Newspapers, Inc., Cox Communications, Inc., Cox Radio, Inc., ESPN Inc., Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc., Hearst-Argyle Corp., Info Touch Technologies, iVillage Inc., Meredith Corporation, New Age Media Concepts, Primedia, Rainbow Media Enterprises/Cablevision, The New York Times Co., Time Warner Inc. and Yahoo!. "This unprecedented contribution from the media represents a whole new era in public service advertising. On behalf of the Ad Council and the millions of Americans who benefit from our critical messages, I am grateful to the entire media community for continuing to recognize the importance of our PSAs," according to Peggy Conlon, President and CEO of the Ad Council. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security "Ready" campaign, launched in February 2003, received more than $225 million in donated media support last year, the largest annual contribution for a campaign in the Ad Council's 62-year history. Other top campaigns across all forms of media included High School Dropout Prevention, Community Drug Prevention, Paternal Involvement, Get Green (Environmental Awareness), Racial Cooperation and Colorectal Cancer Prevention. Top Campaigns by Donated Media Support
Radio remained the largest supporter of the Ad Council's s PSA campaigns, donating $578.4 million in airtime, which included English- and Spanish-language radio stations. Magazine support increased by 360% from 2002 with a $26.4 million contribution of ad space. Yellow Pages experienced the most dramatic increase - 885%, which was primarily due to an unprecedented commitment to the "Ready" campaign. Despite a decrease from 2002 by 14%, broadcast and cable television remained the second largest supporter of Ad Council PSAs, donating a total of $364 million in ad time. The decrease was due to the economy and a significant reduction in the ONDCP Media Match program. Internet support decreased from 2002 (by 51%) primarily due to changes in valuation to more accurately reflect partner CPMs (Cost Per Thousand). Also, outdoor support decreased by 50%, not due to a decline in industry support, but due to a reduction in Ad Council campaign budgets used to produce outdoor materials. In addition, newspaper support increased by almost 10%, with a donation of approximately $21.7 million in advertising space for Ad Council PSAs in 2003. In a competitive media environment, the Ad Council's success can be attributed to the organization's new local and national media initiatives, including media partnerships, coordination with media in local markets, utilizing new technology to market campaigns and the ease of previewing and ordering PSAs via the Ad Council's website, www.adcouncil.org/psa/. In 2003, the Ad Council worked with McKinsey and Company, a consulting firm, to develop a comprehensive, three-year strategic plan for the organization. This resulted in a two-prong media outreach strategy of securing high-level upfront commitments and increasing local outreach. In the fourth quarter of last year, the Ad Council began working with its Board of Directors to pursue the top levels of more than 40 media companies that control significant commercial inventory. In addition to today's announcements, upfront commitments are in development and expected to be announced in coming months. About
The Ad Council The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has effected, and continues to effect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action, and saving lives.
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