Fact Sheet: Ready Campaign
Release Date: 10/01/04 00:00:00
Ready is a national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower American citizens to prepare for and respond to potential terrorist attacks and other emergencies. The goal of the campaign is to get citizens involved and ultimately to increase the level of basic preparedness across the nation.
- Ready asks citizens to do three key things: get an emergency supply kit, make a family communications plan, and be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses.
- The campaign’s messages have been distributed through traditional public service campaign vehicles including: television, radio and print public service announcements; brochures; Ready.gov and Listo.gov Web sites; and a toll free phone line, 1-800-BE READY.
- Homeland Security and the Ad Council have also secured strategic partnerships with a variety of private sector organizations to help disseminate these important messages and materials, including the Boy Scouts of America, Minor League Baseball, The Association of Directory Publishers, The Yellow Pages Integrated Media Association, Salvation Army and National Association of Broadcasters.
- The Ad Council declared Ready one of the most successful campaign launches in its 62-year history. Since its launch more than 210 million people have seen or read about the campaign, which has generated $310 million in donated media support. As of September 30, 2004, the Web site has received more than 1.8 billion hits; the toll-free number has received 211,031 calls; and more than 3.4 million brochures have been requested or downloaded from the Web site.
- Homeland Security is continuing to build upon the Ready campaign and its emergency preparedness activities:
-- In September 2004, the National Preparedness Month coalition, which included Homeland Security, more than 80 organizations and all 56 states and territories, reached millions of people through activities across the nation to highlight the importance of individual emergency preparedness. Nearly 60 million people received preparedness messages through the media in that month alone.
-- In 2004, the Department will release new television, radio and print public service announcements for the Ready campaign. These new advertisements will be formatted so that local officials can add a state or district specific message.
-- In the coming months, Homeland Security will also launch Ready Kids, a campaign for children in grades 4-8, educating them about emergencies, both terrorist attacks and natural disasters and explaining how they can help get their family prepared.
Ready Business Campaign
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Advertising Council launched the Ready Business campaign on September 23, 2004. This extension of Homeland Security’s successful Ready campaign focuses on business preparedness. Ready Business helps owners and managers of small to medium-sized businesses prepare their employees, operations and assets in the event of an emergency.
- The terrorist attacks of 9-11 and more recently hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan showed that disastrous events can paralyze business operations. Small to medium-sized businesses in particular are most vulnerable following a disaster. Having an emergency plan can help protect a company and maximize its potential for survival.
- Too few businesses are taking the necessary steps to prepare for emergencies. One of the key findings of the 9-11 Commission report was the need for the private sector to prepare for potential disasters. The report stated, “Private-sector preparedness is not a luxury; it is a cost of doing business in the post-9-11 world. It is ignored at a tremendous potential cost in lives, money, and national security.”
- The goal of Ready Business is to raise the business community’s awareness of the need for emergency planning and motivate businesses to take action. The campaign encourages business owners and managers to: plan to stay in business; talk to their employees and protect their investment.
- The Ready Business messages will be delivered through Ready.gov, brochures, radio, print and internet advertisements, as well as key partnerships. These materials provide practical steps and easy-to-use templates that include information on creating an evacuation plan; fire safety; including employees throughout the process; considering people with special needs; and protecting business investments by securing facilities and equipment and reviewing insurance coverage.
- Ready Business is funded by Homeland Security’s Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate. The initiative was developed and launched in partnership with:
-- The 9/11 Public Discourse Project
-- ASIS International
-- Business Executives for National Security
-- The Business Roundtable
-- International Safety Equipment Association
-- International Security Management Association
-- National Association of Manufacturers
-- National Federation of Independent Businesses
-- Occupational Safety and Health Administration
-- Small Business Administration
-- The Society for Human Resource Management
-- U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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updated October 26, 2004
This page was last reviewed/modified on 10/01/04 00:00:00.
