benoit Bouchard was in Toronto recently to encourage the advertising community to channel its social marketing efforts to children’s issues.
In an address to the Association of Canadian Advertisers, the minister of National Health and Welfare urged companies to get involved with his department’s Brighter Futures initiative.
Brighter Futures, a program started a year ago to provide children with the best possible start in life, has a budget of $2.6 billion over five years and the promise of on-going funding.
The private sector has been involved in more than 60 social marketing partnerships with Health and Welfare Canada over the last eight years, but Bouchard now wants the focus to be on children.
Demographics
Michael Sullivan, senior vice-president, marketing development at Decima Research, presented the aca meeting with research conducted for Ottawa that emphasized public concern over quality of life for children.
Sullivan says changing demographics of the family support the need for new ways of communicating information about health, nutrition and other social issues to parents.
He says the trend is toward re-empowering the family, since institutions such as schools, churches and community organizations can no longer be the sole providers of information.
The first 60-second tv spot for Brighter Futures aired last year and identified that one of every five children are at risk of developing health-related problems due to poor living conditions, abuse or neglect.
The next flight of commercials begins this week and airs through May.
Four 30-second executions highlight the new Child Tax Benefit and promote valuing children and family communication.
The advertising has been created jointly by Gingko Group of Toronto and Montreal-based Groupe Everest. PS
