Ad Agencies Form Partnership To Provide Free Marketing Services For Non-Profits.

To date, 16 advertising agencies across the country have signed on to participate in National CreateAThon scheduled for September 16-20, 2002.

The agencies were invited to participate in CreateAThon by C.C.Rigg’s Inc. who began the program in 1997. The 24-hour work marathon provides free marketing and creative services to non-profit organizations.

“Non-profit organizations have been particularly hard hit by the economic downturn and world events,” said C.C.Rigg’s Vice President Teresa Coles. “We decided the time was right to share our program with other advertising firms so that they too can lend their talents to help these organizations.”

The first-of-its kind National CreateAThon will benefit hundreds of non-profit organizations by providing marketing and creative services they would otherwise not be able to afford. The National CreateAThon Network includes:

* C.C.Rigg’s, Columbia, South Carolina
* Carbon 14, Memphis, Tennessee
* AMPM Inc., Midland, Michigan
* Penna Powers Cutting Haynes/ProClix , Salt Lake City, Utah
* CDS Creative, Forty Fort, Pennsylvania
* The Kidd Group, Tallahassee, Florida
* Solutions Inc., Des Moines, Iowa
* Leading Edges Advertising, Meridian, Mississippi
* Mastermind Advertising, Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
* Paragon Design Group, Hudson, North Carolina
* DGS Group, Indianapolis, Indiana
* Direct Impact, St. Louis, Missouri
* JB Herrmann, Temple, Texas
* The Sales Factory, Greensboro, North Carolina
* The Communications Group, Little Rock, Arkansas
* Barcellona Communications, Inc., Folsom, California

“When C.C.Rigg’s explained the concept of CreateAThon, I thought it was nothing short of brilliant,” said Stinson Liles of Carbon 14, the first agency to sign on as a national partner.

The program is the brainchild of C.C.Rigg’s partners Cathy Ellis and Teresa Coles. “From a business perspective, we saw the need for our agency to better manage the many pro-bono requests that came through our doors throughout the year,” Ellis said. “We also saw the greater need for non-profits to have the same effective marketing tools that our corporate clients received.”

“I’ve seen first-hand the difference that CreateAThon makes,” said Jim Sonefeld, band member of Hootie and the Blowfish and president of the Animal Mission of Columbia, South Carolina. “Non-profits struggle just to meet operating expenses, let alone having money leftover for professional marketing materials. I’m thrilled to see C.C.Rigg’s share their concept with other ad agencies so non-profit organizations across the country can benefit from this great program.”

The market value of the work that C.C.Rigg’s has produced during CreateAThon’s four-year history has been estimated at $683,406, all provided at little or no cost to the non-profits. That number is expected to grow to over two million dollars with 16 agencies participating.