Michele Kling, (914) 997-4613
Todd P. Dezen, (914) 997-4608, [email protected]
Robert Storace, (914) 997-4622
MARCH OF DIMES LAUNCHES NEW AD CAMPAIGN TO ALERT WOMEN ABOUT FOLIC ACID AND BIRTH DEFECTS
The Stork Brings a Surprise
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., JUNE 6 -- For centuries, the stork has been a symbolic messenger that an infant is on the way. Sometimes the news is expected, sometimes it's not -- but whether the stork's visit is anticipated or a surprise, there is a simple step women can take to increase their chances of having a healthy baby, according to a new public service advertising (PSA) campaign launched today by the March of Dimes.
That step is daily consumption of 400 micrograms of folic acid throughout all childbearing years, beginning before pregnancy. In the eye-catching new national broadcast campaign, the stork brings not only the news that "sometimes a pregnancy can surprise you," but also that "folic acid helps reduce the risk of certain birth defects. . . if you start before you're pregnant." The ads are airing on broadcast and cable stations throughout the United States, augmented by radio versions.
Despite years of public health campaigns advising that taking the B vitamin folic acid helps prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine known as neural tube defects (NTDs), most women of childbearing age are still not taking the vitamin in time, according to a survey also released today by the March of Dimes.
Although 75 percent of women say they have heard of folic acid, 9 out of 10 do not know folic acid must be consumed before pregnancy in order to be effective, and only 1 in 7 know that taking folic acid prevents birth defects.
"The research also revealed that half of the women aware of folic acid say they learned about it from the print and broadcast media," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes.
"So we see this public service ad as a strong way to communicate to women the need to take folic acid acid every day whether they are contemplating pregnancy or not."
"Folic acid must be taken before conception and during the early weeks of pregnancy to be effective in preventing NTDs," said Mary Giammarino, national director of mission marketing for the March of Dimes. "And since nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, every woman who could get pregnant should be consuming folic acid daily as part of a healthy diet."
Giammarino worked with The Lord Group, a joint venture between Young & Rubicam and Dentsu, to develop "Stork." The ad was directed by filmmakers Chris Riess and Amy Hill, who were nominated by the Directors Guild of America as Best Commercial Directors of 1998. They also received a Clio Award for their work for the Sundance Film Festival.
The ad is part of the latest phase of the March of Dimes $10 million, multi-year folic acid education campaign, whose long-term goal is to reduce the incidence of NTDs by at least 30 percent by the year 2001. The current campaign also includes a series of celebrity print PSAs, the first of which, launched in May, features actress Salma Hayek.
Each year, an estimated 2,500 babies are born with NTDs and many additional affected pregnancy pregnancies result in miscarriage or stillbirth. The most common NTD is spina bifida, a leading cause of childhood paralysis.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies. More information is available on the March of Dimes website at http://www.modimes.org.
# # # #
RSS