VIACOM AND KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION’S KNOW HIV/AIDS CAMPAIGN TO PREMIERE YEAR TWO ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
2004 commitment of ad placement valued at more than $200 million
40 targeted PSAs to run across television, radio and outdoor media
TV shows incorporating HIV/AIDS storylines and special programming
The 2004 campaign builds on the success of Year One – 44% of American adults either recognized the “KNOW HIV/AIDS” brand or at least one of the PSAs
NEW YORK, January 12, 2004—Viacom, one of the largest media companies in the world, and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a leader in health information and research, today announced that their multimedia campaign KNOW HIV/AIDS will launch its second year on Super Bowl Sunday. Building on the momentum of the 2003 campaign, which delivered HIV awareness and prevention messages to millions of people across the United States, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean, KNOW HIV/AIDS will premiere new public service announcements (PSAs), television programming and online content throughout 2004.
On February 1, KNOW HIV/AIDS will kick off its second year during the pre-game show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, with the world premiere of one of the initiative’s new PSAs. The campaign, which includes media placements valued at $200 million in 2004, will run across Viacom’s broadcast networks CBS and UPN; cable networks MTV, BET, VH1, CMT: Country Music Television, TV Land, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Showtime, Spike TV and Comedy Central; 185 Infinity Broadcasting radio stations in the top 50 markets; and billboard, bus, and bus shelters advertising faces in the nation’s largest markets. In addition, a number of television shows produced by Viacom companies have incorporated HIV/AIDS themes in upcoming episodes. And, MTV, MTV International, Nickelodeon, BET, VH1, Showtime, Sundance Channel and Infinity Broadcasting have special HIV/AIDS-related programming planned throughout the year
Today, as many as 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS and more than 20 million people have died. Yet, UNAIDS projects that nearly two-thirds of all new HIV/AIDS infections worldwide could by eliminated by 2010 with more effective education and prevention.
Drew E. Altman, Ph.D., President and Chief Operating Officer, Kaiser Family Foundation, said, “KNOW HIV/AIDS demonstrates the powerful role that media companies can play in combating HIV/AIDS. The Initiative has reached millions of people with critical information that can save lives."
Sumner Redstone, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Viacom, said, “HIV/AIDS is spreading across the globe at alarming rates, devastating people of all genders, ages and ethnic backgrounds. We are proud to lend our powerful media assets and resolve to the fight against HIV/AIDS across the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean … everywhere Viacom and its partners have a presence.”
Mel Karmazin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Viacom, said, “When we launched KNOW HIV/AIDS, it was with the conviction that we could use our power for good. And we are encouraged that media is uniquely suited to getting the word out about this devastating disease and how it can be prevented. Awareness polls conducted by our partner, the Kaiser Family Foundation, show that recognition of KNOW HIV/AIDS’s lifesaving messages are at very high levels. Our mission in launching Year Two is to build on the campaign’s ability to reach our audiences, to influence behavior and save lives.”
For the 2004 campaign, Viacom and Kaiser are working with three advertising agencies—DDB Bass & Howes, Crispin, Porter + Bogusky and Burrell Communications Group—to produce 34 new PSAs. DDB Bass & Howes created a series of TV, radio and outdoor ads that focus attention on the impact of HIV/AIDS on youth around the world, and the possibility for change. Burrell Communications Group contributed new outdoor advertising on testing targeting the African-American community. And, Crispin, Porter + Bogusky is developing a series of targeted PSAs to encourage HIV testing among higher-risk groups that will roll out in April of 2004. Ads have also been re-tagged for the KNOW HIV/AIDS campaign that were produced under Kaiser’s partnership with MTV’s Fight For Your Rights: Protect Yourself and BET’s Rap It Up campaigns. A number of the 49 ads developed for the 2003 launch will continue to be in rotation.
Kaiser also held briefings last fall for entertainment shows that are produced by Viacom companies. As a result, a number of shows have incorporated HIV/AIDS themes in upcoming episodes, including The District (produced by Universal Television in association with CBS Productions/airs Jan. 17 on CBS), in which Mannion is upset when it appears that one of his men failed to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to his gay partner for fear of contracting HIV/AIDS; The Parkers (Paramount/Feb. 16 on UPN), T thinks he's met the girl of his dreams, but then finds out she is HIV-positive; Soul Food (a Waterwalk Production, Edmonds Entertainment and State Street Pictures production in association with Paramount Network Television/airs in April on Showtime), Kenny’s brother reveals that he is HIV-positive; and Queer as Folk (Cowlip Productions, Tony Jonas Productions and Temple Street Productions on Showtime) will air several episodes on the impact of HIV/AIDS on friends and family. CBS is also premiering the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation The Blackwater Lightship (Feb. 4), a drama (based on the Scribner/Simon & Schuster novel by Colm Toibin) that explores how three generations of women learn to deal with their differences when a son reveals that he has AIDS. Other shows are currently in development.
Additionally, MTV, MTV International, Nickelodeon, BET, VH1, Showtime and Infinity Broadcasting have special HIV/AIDS-related programming planned throughout the year. Sundance Channel will air four HIV/AIDS-related documentaries on February 2: The Gift (Louise Hogarth), It’s My Life (Brian Tilley), Mother to Child (Jane Thandi Lipman) and 14 Million Dreams (Miles Roston). And, Simon & Schuster will place ads with facts on the disease in the back of its titles.
Throughout 2003, the first year of the initiative, the campaign generated significant results: 25 television PSAs in over 200 markets ran over 70,000 times; 14 radio PSAs in the top 50 markets ran over 5,000 times; and 13 distinct billboard ads ran in the top 25 markets on 4,000 outdoor faces. Viacom's initial commitment of $120 million in ad placements actuall exceeded $180 million in 2003. In addition, nine broadcast shows and six cable programs incorporated HIV/AIDS into their storylines and episodes, which were seen by more than 50 million viewers, and through syndication will be seen by millions more.
Audiences have responded with more than 6.5 million unique visits to the KNOW HIV/AIDS Web site; 336,000 calls to the combined hotlines operated by Viacom and Kaiser; and 127,000 requests for the Viacom-Kaiser produced guide on HIV/AIDS. A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 44 percent of American adults surveyed either recognized the “KNOW HIV/AIDS” brand or had seen at least one of the PSAs. In two of the key target audiences, African-Americans and Latinos, recognition was 51 percent.
In October, Viacom and Kaiser launched KNOW HIV/AIDS in the United Kingdom under the banner of Staying Alive, in collaboration with the National AIDS Trust. And, in November, the BBC, in partnership with Viacom and Kaiser, began broadcasting educational messages in seven languages to 60 million people across Africa and the Caribbean.
Funding is being provided by Viacome, the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Mel Karmazin Foundation, and Sumner Redstone.
About KNOW HIV/AIDS
KNOW HIV/AIDS is an unprecedented, global media campaign that combats HIV/AIDS through public service messages (PSAs), television and radio programming, and free print and online content. The multi-year effort combines the public health expertise of the Kaiser Family Foundation with the power of Viacom’s media brands and unmatched audience relationships to foster awareness of the disease and its prevention. More information about KNOW HIV/AIDS is available through the initiative’s comprehensive Web site, www.knowhivaids.org, or toll-free number 1-866-344-KNOW (5669).
About Viacom Inc.
Viacom is a leading global media company, with preeminent positions in broadcast and cable television, radio, outdoor advertising, and online. With programming that appeals to audiences in every demographic category across virtually all media, the company is a leader in the creation, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, music, and comedy. Viacom’s well-known brands include CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, VH1, BET, Paramount Pictures, Infinity Broadcasting, Viacom Outdoor, UPN, TV Land, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, Showtime, Blockbuster, and Simon & Schuster. More information about Viacom and its businesses is available at www.viacom.com.
About The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a private operating foundation dedicated to providing information and analysis on health issues to policymakers, the media, and the general public. It is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries. Information on HIV/AIDS is available at www.kff.org, and a daily news summary report on developments in HIV/AIDS is available on www.kaisernetwork.org, the Foundation’s free health information service.
Contacts:
Viacom:
Kristi Gates
212-846-6261
kristi.gates@viacom.com
Imara Jones
212-258-6363
imara.jones@viacom.com
The Kaiser Family Foundation:
Rob Graham
650-854-9400 x237
robg@kff.org
Tina Hoff
650-854-9400 x210
thoff@kff.org
