Ad Council unveils PSA Campaigns through Social Media.

The Advertising Council announced that they have developed a new website, My Ad Council (www.MyAdCouncil.org), which will encourage advertising agencies, media companies and advertisers to further the reach of the Ad Council’s public service campaigns online. Brian Perkins, Corporate Vice President, Johnson & Johnson, and Chair of the Ad Council, unveiled the new site last night at the Ad Council’s 56th Annual Public Service Award Dinner held in New York City.

Through My Ad Council, users can quickly and easily share the Ad Council’s PSA videos and images via social media platforms. The site also provides the opportunity to comment on the PSAs through sites such as Facebook and Twitter and learn more about how the campaigns have been created through “behind the scenes” videos featuring ad agency individuals. Additionally, My Ad Council highlights the pro bono efforts of advertising agency partners, media supporters and other contributors. The site was developed by JESS3, a creative digital agency in Washington D.C., and it is based on insights gained through focus groups conducted at ad agencies, media companies and corporate advertisers. AOL provided strategic guidance on the design and functionality of the My Ad Council site, as well as financial resources to support the costs of the site.

“One of the most exciting and valuable uses of social media is for social good,” said Brian Perkins, Corporate Vice President, Johnson & Johnson, and Chair of the Ad Council. “My Ad Council will give the Ad Council’s dedicated and talented supporters a simple way to make a difference and further the Ad Council’s mission.”

The Ad Council’s campaigns are targeted to Americans of all ages and each is sponsored by a national non-profit organization or federal government agency. My Ad Council currently features ten Ad Council campaigns, along with the ad agencies that created the PSAs pro bono: Autism Awareness (BBDO), Drunk Driving Prevention (Mullen and The Vidal Partnership), Hunger Prevention (Ogilvy and Mather), Adoption (kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners), High School Dropout Prevention (Publicis), Shelter Pet Adoption (Draftfcb), Gay and Lesbian Teen Bullying Prevention (ArnoldNYC), Re-connecting Kids with Nature (Euro RSCG Tonic), Teen Dating Abuse Prevention (R/GA) and Wildfire Prevention (Draftfcb). In the coming months, all of the Ad Council’s 50 national public service campaigns will be featured on the site.

“This great tool will provide our supporters with a way to develop a deeper and more meaningful personal engagement with our campaigns and serve as another distribution channel for our PSAs,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “We are grateful to AOL for generously partnering with us on this initiative, which will broaden the reach of our messages and help showcase the pro bono support of our constituents.”

“We are delighted to partner with the Ad Council on My Ad Council,” said Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO of AOL and incoming Chairman of the Ad Council. “AOL has a proud history supporting the Ad Council and their critical work raising awareness of some of the most pressing issues facing our society. My Ad Council is a tremendous advancement for the Ad Council and our industry community in helping to extend the impact of their PSAs.”

The Ad Council is working with New Media Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based social media agency, to promote My Ad Council on blogs, message boards, discussion forums and social networking sites. The Ad Council will also produce and distribute a series of online ads to raise awareness of the effort.