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Fox, Kaiser Team for PSAs

Aug 14, 2006  •  Post A Comment

The Fox Networks Group and the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation are joining together on a new multiplatform public education campaign promoting healthy lifestyles to young people.

The “Pause” campaign will run public service announcements beginning Aug. 20 on the Fox broadcast network as well as on the company’s cable nets, including FX, National Geographic Channel, Fox Reality, Fuel TV and the various Fox Sports services. In addition, “Pause” will appear on Fox’s online properties, including Fox.com and social networking site MySpace.com. The Fox-owned stations are not expected to carry “Pause” PSAs around local programming blocks, but the division could be incorporated into the campaign later.

A second round of PSAs will begin airing in early 2007, tied into the next season of “American Idol.”

Designed to run at least a year, the value of the PSA and online buy “is in the multiple of millions,” said Tony Vinciquerra, Fox Networks Group president and CEO.

The campaign marks the first time Fox has used all of its platforms, including its growing digital portfolio, to send a uniform message. Mr. Vinciquerra declined to say whether Fox would develop similar campaigns for in-house promotions or for a paying advertiser. Fox has done similar campaigns in the past promoting v-chip awareness and Hurricane Katrina relief, but those did not make use of its emerging stable of Web properties.

The initial PSA uses images evocative of the classic video game Pong that evolve into the “pause” symbol. The tag line “It only takes a minute to change your life” flashes at the end of the spot, along with a Web address referring viewers to a site that encourages young people to think before engaging in risky behavior related to drug use, sex or other potentially dangerous activities.

“This is a campaign that speaks to the Fox audience,” said Tina Hoff, VP of entertainment media partnership for the Kaiser Family Foundation.