Fact Sheet: Ready Campaign

Release Date: 11/22/04 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 and its Spanish language version Listo ask individuals to do three key things: (1) get an emergency supply kit, (2) make a family emergency plan, and (3) 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 advertisements (PSAs); brochures; www.Ready.gov and www.Listo.gov websites; and a toll free phone line, 1-800-BE READY.

Homeland Security and the Ad Council are also working on partnerships with a variety of private sector organizations to help communicate 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, The National Cable and Telecommunications Association, The Salvation Army and The 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 October 31, 2004, the website has received more than 1.8 billion hits; the toll-free number has received 214,180 calls; and more than 3.6 million brochures have been requested or downloaded from the website.

While it is too early to effectively gauge the long term effects of the campaign on public preparedness, thus far there are indications of progress. A survey conducted by the Ad Council in early September 2004 found that 58% of Americans have taken at least one step to prepare for emergencies. The number of individuals taking specific preparedness steps has also increased:

36% now have an emergency supply kit, an increase of 10% since the start of the campaign
24% now have made a family emergency plan, an increase of 9 %
16% have sought more information about what to do in an emergency, an increase of 11% since the start of the campaign

The new public service announcements combined with Ready Business and the future launch of Ready Kids are directed at engaging more Americans on emergency preparedness.

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.

On September 23, 2004, Homeland Security and The Advertising Council launched Ready Business, an extension of the Ready campaign that 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 campaign’s messages are being delivered through a website (www.ready.gov), brochures, radio, print and internet advertisements, as well as key partnerships.

On November 22, 2004, Homeland Security and the Ad Council released new television, radio and print public service advertisements (PSAs) for the Ready campaign in an effort to encourage all parents to make a family emergency plan. These new PSAs are formatted so that local officials can add a state or district specific message.

In the coming months, Homeland Security will launch Ready Kids, a campaign for children in grades 4-8, to educate them about emergencies and how they can help get their family prepared.

The Ready campaign is directed at raising Americans’ awareness about the importance of preparedness. The campaign works in tandem with the department’s Citizen Corps Councils and other community-based organizations. Currently, there are over 1,400 councils throughout the country working at the grassroots level to make America safer and more secure.

One of the Department of Homeland Security’s key priorities is helping communities become better prepared to protect against or respond to a terrorist attack or major disaster. The Ready campaign, along with over 1,400 Citizen Corps Councils, helps engage citizens to prepare for emergencies. These programs are a critical part of a better prepared America.

The Ready campaign is a national public service advertising campaign produced by the Ad Council in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Ready is designed to educate and empower American citizens to prepare for and respond to potential terrorist attacks and other emergencies. Citizens interested in receiving a "Get Ready Now" brochure may call 1-800-BE-READY or visit www.Ready.gov for more information.

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November 22, 2004

This page was last reviewed/modified on 11/22/04 00:00:00.