Ad Council and National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Unveil First National Multi-Media Campaign to Address Online Sexual Exploitation.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 19, 2004

Merkley + Partners Develops Multi-Media Campaign Pro Bono 

The Advertising Council, in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), announced today the launch of a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to raise awareness about the prevalence of online sexual exploitation and to help parents and teens better protect against online sexual predators. The PSA campaign is the first national, multimedia campaign to address this issue and it is being unveiled this morning by Ad Council President & CEO Peggy Conlon and NCMEC President & CEO Ernie Allen during NCMEC's annual congressional breakfast and 20th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C.

The prevalence of sexual victimization of children in the United States is overwhelming, yet largely unrecognized and underreported. According to NCMEC, leading scholars and researchers estimate that one in five girls and one in ten boys will be sexually victimized before they reach adulthood, and less than 35% of these sexual assault cases are reported. With the advent of the Internet, child predators have a new avenue to contact their victims with perceived anonymity and to perpetrate crimes against children. According to a U.S. Department of Justice study, of the estimated 24 million child Internet users, one in five has received unwanted sexual solicitations yet only one in four told a parent.

In addition, NCMEC announced today the results of a nationwide study of parents, conducted by ADVO, Inc., which reveals that one in three parents are not concerned about their children's safety when using the Internet and one out of five parents said they do not know any of the Internet codes or passwords, IM handles or email addresses for their children using the Internet. According to the study, 5% or less of parents surveyed are familiar with the most commonly used acronyms used by children on the Internet, like POS, which stands for "parent over shoulder."

Sponsored by NCMEC and created pro bono by ad agency Merkley + Partners, the new PSAs are designed to educate parents on steps they can take to prevent the occurrence of sexual solicitations and to report incidents. The campaign includes television, radio, newspaper, outdoor and Internet advertising and directs parents to visit www.cybertipline.com or to call 1-800-THE-LOST to learn how to prevent, detect and report online sexual exploitation.

"Too many parents are unaware of the prevalence of online sexual exploitation and do not believe that their own children are at risk. By providing parents with information and resources, we can prevent thousands of children from becoming victims," according to Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of The Advertising Council. "I am confident that this compelling advertising, created by Merkley + Partners, will open parents' eyes to the dangers of their child's Internet use and empower them to get involved to protect their children from online sexual predators."

The online sexual exploitation campaign initially targets parents of children under the age of 18, particularly girls. A second phase of the campaign, which is scheduled to launch next year, will be directed at teenage girls in an effort to empower them to protect themselves against online sexual predators.

"Children benefit greatly from being online, but they can also be targets of exploitation," said Ernie Allen, president of NCMEC. "The Ad Council campaign will educate parents about the importance of taking responsibility for their children's Internet use so they can minimize the risk of victimization. These advertisements will give parents the knowledge they need to learn how to talk to their children about the dangers and ensure safer, more productive online experiences."

The new PSAs target the problem in different ways to force the issue onto parents' radar. One TV spot --"Places"--shows how sexual predators target kids in places where parents think they are safest: at home. Another spot--"Monitor"--reveals how easy it is for predators to hide their identity. A third spot --"Acronyms"--clues parents in to the lingo that their kids use online. Acronyms like POS (parent over shoulder), shock parents into a realization of how little they really know about their kids' online activities. It also provides a way for parents to initiate a discussion about online safety with their children.

The television and radio spots end with a voiceover by actress Jamie Lee Curtis directing parents to visit the website or call the toll-free number to find out how to protect their children against online sexual predators. To view the PSAs, please visit www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/online_sexual_exploitation/.

"Although it will be tough to prevent sexual solicitations from happening, this campaign will be a success if we can convince parents to get as involved in their kids' online life as they are in their offline life," says Diane Epstein, Group Account Director, Merkley + Partners.

Per the Ad Council model, all of the PSAs are being distributed to more than 20,000 media outlets nationwide this week and will run and air in advertising time and space that is donated by the media.

Merkley + Partners

Merkley + Partners (www.merkleyandpartners.com) is a leading full-service advertising agency. Founded in 1993, M+P has more than a half billion dollars in billings and more than 250 employees. Headquartered in New York City, clients include: BMW Motorcycles, Citigroup, Fila, Mercedes-Benz USA, Lipitor, SBC Communications and Smith Barney. M+P is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), a leading global marketing and communications company.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Created in 1984, NCMEC has aided law enforcement officials in the search for more than 98,000 missing children. More than 83,000 children have been recovered as a result. NCMEC works to combat possession, manufacturing and distribution of child pornography; online enticement of children for sexual acts; child prostitution; child sexual tourism; extra-familial child sexual molestation; unsolicited obscene material sent to a child; and misleading domain names. To date, NCMEC has handled more than 240,000 reports of these offenses from the public through its congressionally mandated CyberTipline (www.cybertipline.com), with more than 10,500 of those reports categorized as online enticement. For more information about NCMEC, call 1-800-THE-LOST or visit www.missingkids.com

The Advertising 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. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org.