JDG Wins AMA-DC "M" Award for National Do Not Call Registry Campaign
Created in 11 Weeks, Bi-Lingual FTC Effort Achieved 91 Percent Awareness with No Ad Budget
WASHINGTON, DC, May 21, 2004—JDG Communications Inc. won an "M" Award from the American Marketing Association's Washington Chapter (AMA-DC) last night honoring its 2003 campaign to launch the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) National Do Not Call Registry. One of only six total award winners, the JDG team had only 11 weeks to create the launch plan and all its components to reach approximately 150 million American households with no budget for paid advertising. JDG's campaign resulted in the Do Not Call Web site becoming the No. 1 searched Internet site within 24 hours of the launch. The campaign achieved a 91 percent awareness among American adults and nearly 60 million phone numbers have been registered to date.
Positioning the new service as one that gives American consumers a choice to stop unsolicited telemarketing phone calls, the exposure generated an estimated $2.5 million media value in television and estimated 31 million banner ad impressions.
"We had only 11 weeks to prepare a campaign to achieve FTC's goals that were strictly informational rather than sales-oriented, that informed consumers when the new service would be available, and set realistic expectations on what the registry would and would not accomplish," said JDG Communications President Len Johnson. "The campaign resulted in the most successful launch of a consumer service in the history of the FTC," he said.
Partnering with Ricci Communications, JDG was awarded the project in April 2003 over six other proposals. With tactics that included print, TV B-roll video and radio public service announcements and Web banner ads targeting basically anyone in the U.S. with a telephone, JDG had to work within a July 4 FTC deadline for the registry to accept consumers' phone numbers, and to be fully operational by Oct. 1. The campaign had to reach Spanish-speaking customers, including target Hispanic media in all efforts. Media outreach also had to be state-specific to achieve FTC's harmonization goals, since 28 states already had their own Do Not Call lists.
Campaign Strategies
JDG's pro-consumer education campaign enveloped three overriding strategies: developing an up-beat graphic identity which positioned the National Do Not Call Registry as "a free service of the federal government" to avoid consumer confusion regarding the specific government agency source; creating an informational campaign that did not explicitly urge consumers to sign up for the registry, providing them instead with "a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home; and drawing a distinction with the existing state Do Not Call lists, emphasizing that consumers could now put their numbers "on one, national Do Not Call list."
JDG also created an informational Web site with a media news center at www.ftc.gov/donotcall that included current information on launch plans.
About the M Awards
AMA-DC's second annual M Awards recognize marketers and their successful initiatives—marketing campaigns that demonstrate solid strategy, brilliant innovation and positive return on investment. This year's awards included six categories: high tech, professional services, financial services, health care, government and nonprofit/association.
About JDG Communications, Inc.
JDG's strategic team focuses on "communicating what matters" with highly creative branding and identity programs, public outreach campaigns, website design and programming, publications, capabilities brochures, consumer and b2b sales support materials and trade show exhibits. Current and past clients include the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. General Services Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Small Business Administration, SCORE, the American Psychological Association, and the United Way of the National Capital Area. Web site: www.jdgcommunications.com.
