Media Activism #11

After our field trip to the Ad Council, I explored their website to see the work they have done on different campaigns. Based on their model of working on issues that are non-political, non-commercial, non-profit, and non-denominational, I was very curious to see what issues qualified. I was particularly interested in the Modeling Non-Violent Behavior campaign. I have witnessed parents being violent and aggressive both in front of, and directly towards, their children on the subways, buses, and streets of New York. It is incredibly disturbing and upsetting, and I am so grateful for campaigns such as these that bring this issue to light. Through radio spots, magazines, newspapers and billboards, attention is drawn to the fact that children model their parent’s behavior, both good and bad.

To avoid the political side of gun control, the Ad Council has a campaign about reducing gun violence. This is an excellent example of framing the debate to focus on the realities of gun violence with a tagline of “Gun Crimes Hit Home” rather than getting involved in the legislative debate over the second amendment.

The Ad Council website is really impressive. You are able to search by issue and see who sponsored the ad, which agency created the ad, can view all of the posters, tv, and radio spots, and get factual information and statistics on the issue.
Overall, the Ad Council is a very impressive organization doing very important work. I am really glad we got the opportunity to visit their offices and learn more about them.