Orcí Supporting Children’s Bureau.

La Agencia de Orcí & Asociados and The Ballpark, the rapidly-growing specialist in entertainment and sports advertising, will launch a new regional advertising campaign for Children’s Bureau, a private non-profit organization in Southern California.

Launching this month, the bilingual (Spanish and English) advertising campaign will help drive financial support for Children’s Bureau from corporate foundations and private donors and will build awareness of the agency as Southern California’s leading force in the fight to stop child abuse.

Children’s Bureau strives to reach at-risk children at an early age in order to prevent child abuse and neglect. In 2002, Children’s Bureau was able to gain financial support in the amount of $2,211,692 from foundations, corporations, special events and individuals. This year’s advertising campaign will endeavor to help raise more than this in 2003.

La Agencia de Orcí & Asociados and The Ballpark collaborated on this campaign to donate all creative, production and media planning services. The agencies presented 12 different campaign ideas – a depth of creative rarely available to non-profit clients. The two agencies then split up the duties involved in producing and placing the chosen campaign.

In the ads, a teddy bear represents the only source of love for these children and it implores adults to help by referring to the tragic events he witnesses. The actual teddy bear that was used in the campaign is more than 75 years old and seems like the perfect spokesperson for the 100-year-old Children’s Bureau. The bear will be utilized in on-going future marketing efforts. Through their many years, both the bear and the organization have seen their share of challenges and have given unconditional love.

The campaign will run through the first quarter of 2003 and includes two :15 and one :60 TV spots; two :15 and one :60 radio spots; print ads; and four different creative executions for more than 800 pieces of OOH advertising. The campaign has received overwhelming support from the media, which have donated all the media time and space. Corporate sponsors, contributors and vendors include Adlink, Banamex, Circle Graphics, Clear Channel Outdoor, Clockwork 906, Crush Creative, Digital Plus Inc., Grand Graphics, International Color Posters, Jessica Boone Photography, Metromedia Technologies, Mia Films, Outdoor Posters Inc., Planet Blue, POP Sound, The Big House, The Syndicate, Viacom/Outdoor, Vincent Printing and Vista Media.

“La Agencia de Orcí’s and The Ballpark’s dramatic ads and their support in networking us with their media partners was invaluable,” said Children’s Bureau President & CEO Alex Morales. “Children’s Bureau has needed a symbolic image to help gain attention for our efforts and this endearing teddy bear does just that.”

“La Agencia de Orcí & Asociados has worked with Children’s Bureau for seven years and they continue to remind us of how important it is to reach out and remain active in helping to make sure the children of Southern California are safe,” said Hector Orci, CEO of La Agencia de Orcí & Asociados. “Our partnership with The Ballpark on this project was tremendously successful because it gave us the benefit of working with a talented group of communicators and together we were able to get much more accomplished.”

“We felt it was very important to include Children’s Bureau in the creative process,” said Alan Berkes, Creative Director of The Ballpark. “A sensitive subject such as child abuse needed to be handled carefully and thoughtfully. Both agencies and Children’s Bureau explored several directions and we openly debated the pros and cons of positive versus negative campaigns. In the end, the weathered Teddy Bear was the perfect solution, a sympathetic witness to child abuse whose cries for help we think will be listened to.”

About Children’s Bureau
Founded in 1904, Children’s Bureau provides professional treatment and prevention services to more than 7,000 abused and neglected children and their families each year throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Children’s Bureau is also a licensed foster family and adoption agency. Qualifying families receive extensive training certification, funds and 24-hour support to aid in the care of their foster or adopted child. There are 120,000 children in the U.S. who wait for permanent families. Children’s Bureau works with more than 500 Southland children each year to find them loving foster or adoptive homes.

For more information, please call (888) ALL4KIDS or visit www.all4kids.org.