VERB Newsletter
VERB The Latest Word
July 2003 Issue
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This is the fifth installment in a series of VERB newsletters providing the
latest and greatest on how the VERB campaign is getting kids off the couch and
into life. Read on…
Phase 1 of the VERB campaign has wrapped up and Phase 2 is revving up with many
exciting programs. Here’s a quick snapshot of what’s coming down the pike on all
fronts of the campaign!
- The public relations plan will focus around three core audiences– tweens,
parents and influencers. The plan will motivate tweens, educate parents, and
have a more aggressive outreach to influencers.
- Our Event/Marketing initiatives will focus on providing tweens with
opportunities and access to physically inspiring events and activities. The
next activity is planned for October 26th, when the clocks are turned back and
kids have an extra hour for fun.
- The Disney Channel will promote VERB through three custom PSAs. The first
PSA, featuring Kim Possible, will launch in September during
the key back-to-school time period.
- Kids’ WB! will create a VERB PSA featuring the characters Ozzy & Drix,
which will launch in October.
- VERB is partnering with Nickelodeon as a sponsor of its “Let’s Just Play”
(LJP) campaign, which will
include TV, print, and
on-line opportunities. VERB will also have a
presence in select cities hosting Nick’s LJP
Across America grassroots tour that
celebrates “playing” by involving thousands
of kids in a giant relay race.
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Impact to Date 8,451,422 8,451,422
CONTESTS
4,480
SWEEPSTAKES
31,731
ADDED VALUE
623,500
TOURS/EVENTS
2,587,470
ONLINE
5,204,241
VERB has touched over 8 million
children and parents to date
- VERB and AOL Time Warner will continue
to motivate and activate tweens with a multilevel
program featuring an activity tracker,
giving tweens a
measurement
mechanism to record their activation progress.
- Gruner & Jahr will introduce four new
families for Fit Family Fit Kids in October.
The Web site has been revamped and will
have exciting new features including videos on
demand, a fitness calculator, polls & quizzes, a
sweepstakes and a chat room!
- In-school programs include media partner
programs such as Make Every Move Count — a competition among schools to accumulate
and record the most steps — with Channel
One. This year, VERB Street Teams will also
have a larger presence in schools to help
spread the word about getting active.
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At the height of the summer, when
tweens had plenty of free time, VERB
reached 79% of our tween target, an
average of 7.8 times in July.
Wow! VERB was featured in five
national Internet placements, including
CNN.com,* USA Today, Washington
Post, Foxnews.com* and Salon.com.*
Through VERB’s public relations
initiatives, VERB has appeared on more
than 125 television stations garnering
more than 8 hours of television time.
June 21st marked the Longest Day of
Play. VERB activities in Miami, Houston,
L.A. and Kansas City generated 14
media placements and more than 5
million media impressions. Key VERB
placements included the Fox Sports
Net, Miami Herald.com,* Balita Media
and the Houston Chronicle.
In July, VERBnow.com gave tweens
ideas and tools to stay active all summer
long with a printable checklist of activities,
the VERB Activity Finder and our archive
of Games and Tips.
Earlier this spring, HispanicAD.com*
hosted the 2003 Media Planning
Awards. Garcia 360/Media Rare won
the award for the year's best Hispanic
Out of Home Media Plan for the VERB
campaign. Way to go, VERB!
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- Columbus, Greenville, Los Angeles,
& Miami: VERB is making a splash with a
cool pool program, plastering eye-catching
floor graphics and
banner ads at
local public pools
from mid-July to
September in the
four markets.
- Houston, LA, & Miami: More than
315,000 Hispanic tweens and 16,500+
teachers were exposed to VERB through
a program designed especially for them.
A four-page booklet, encouraging
participation in physical activity, was
distributed to Hispanic students in ESL
classes. Almost 90% of the educators who
responded to questions about the
effectiveness of the program rated the value
of the program as very good or excellent!
- New York: Fun Sports Festival hosted
by World Journal at Kissena Corridor
Park in Flushing, NY included the
presence of approximately 600 tweens.
The tweens received goodie bags filled
with VERB premiums and enjoyed
participating in activities such as kung fu,
soccer and stepping, plus many more.
There were also stage performances
demonstrating dances and stepping by
local performers.
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VERB on the Move
Teen People's Break for the Beach, sponsored in part by VERB, kicked off
June 14th in Myrtle Beach, SC. Stops included Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Pt.
Pleasant, NJ; Wildwood, NJ; and Jones Beach, NY, where tweens played
mini-volleyball or limbo courtesy of VERB! VERB premiums were
distributed to those who got their VERB on!
SI for Kids and VERB bring the best of the best in
the “No Limits” Road Trip 2003. Touring 12 amusement parks
for 24 shows across the country,
eight top athletes will spend the day
demonstrating their award-winning
tricks and skills. These Gravity
Games and X-Games pro athletes
are expected to draw thousands of
park attendees.
One of two key sponsors, VERB
will have a high profile presence on
autograph cards, truck wraps, event
signage and on the Internet.
MTV is touring Washington, DC; Miami; Cleveland; Kansas City; Spokane;
Greenville; Green Bay; Houston; and LA beginning July 8th with MTV MADE
participants
and coaches. Shane, Diana, Michael, and Isaac, along with MTV DJ
Flex, will hit nine markets to give YMCA tweens the opportunity to learn
new basketball skills and talk to the MADE participants to learn how they
reached their goals! More than 2,500 tweens are registered to participate.
Participants will
receive a tattoo and a custom-made VERB, YMCA and MTV shirt and bag.
Back to top ^
YM will shake a groove
with VERB’s “Move It to
Groove It! Contest,” getting
tweens to dance, boogie, shake, step
and find their own moves. A contest
and chance to win a dance party for
one lucky participant’s entire school will
be tied-in.
Cartoon Network
will air the “What’s
Your VERB Challenge” beginning this
August, featuring a call to action spot
encouraging viewers to submit their own
VERB videos to win a chance to appear
on-air in follow-up spots.
The final touches for the Spanish TV
and radio spots are under way! These
spots, targeting Hispanic tweens and
parents specifically, will launch in
August! ¡Ponte las pilas!
A new and improved VERBnow.com
will launch in the fall. New features
include the VERB Tracker, an on-line
diary for keeping track of daily activities.
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Further testimonial that was gleaned from our latest advertising focus groups…
These verbatims are proof that both male and female tweens are responding to
VERB’s new activation message.
“Whether you win or lose, you're
having fun. It shows how sports can
be an integral part of life.”
“VERB makes me want to go out...makes me want to go to the park.
It gives you ideas to do something
like bike riding.”
“Everyday you can go out and have fun.
You can have fun any day you want.
You don't have to go far to have fun.
You can just have fun with your friends.”
“It's telling you to do stuff —
not to be lazy…
To get involved in games.”
“The message is
it's fun to do sports.
You don't have to be the
leader to do sports.”
This publication is produced by the Publicis Groupe.
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Page last reviewed: August 1, 2007
Page last modified: August 1, 2007
Content source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health
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