“You are here. Where the hispanic teenage birth rate is still too high.” That’s the message, Serve’s new teen pregnancy prevention campaign is trying to get out to Latino parents in Milwaukee. The ad copy goes on to say, “Parents, please talk to your kids about sex and pregnancy, no matter how uncomfortable it is.” The ad is in response to new data that shows the birthrate among Latina teens in Milwaukee is lowering at a much slower rate than among african american teens. In fact, it’s estimated that 44% of Latinas will become pregnant at least once by age 20, while the number for teens overall is just over 30%. The bus shelter campaign is in spanish and directs readers to download tips for talking to your teen about sex at babycanwait.com. The effort is a part of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee’s ongoing teen pregnancy prevention campaign that is helped lower teen pregnancy in Milwaukee by 35% over the past 5 years.
How do you generate massive statewide media attention for a cause with only a little money? Create the state’s first ever “Umbrella Flash Mob for Foster Care.” Armed with bright yellow umbrellas, people stood on the street for an hour holding up signs and wearing shirts that say “Shelter from the Storm,” to create awareness for the need for more foster parents in Wisconsin.
The flash mob in Milwaukee at Marquette’s campus, attracted over 250 people, even on a rainy day. And Eau Claire also had a record number. Flash mobs in Madison, Appleton and Stevens Point are also planned for May, which is Foster Care Awareness Month. The campaign is part of a bigger tv, outdoor and social media effort on behalf of the Coalition for Children, Youth and Families. Serve helped organized the flash mobs which have taken off with the help of social media.
The Running Rebels believe you can. And they’re on a mission to convince others in Milwaukee with a new campaign from Serve called, “I Can Stop a Speeding Bullet.” The provocative anti-gun violence effort features young men on bus shelters and billboards around Milwaukee, who have turned away from a life of gun violence with the help of Running Rebels. Outdoor and newspaper ads direct youth to the website, http://stopaspeedingbullet.com where they can see powerful video stories of each individual.
The Running Rebels have been mentoring at-risk youth in the inner city for over 30 years, providing intensive monitoring, mentorship, a safe place to go after school, and positive ways for youth to express themselves through sports or music. It’s estimated that the Running Rebels have saved the City of Milwaukee over $68 million since 1998, by helping some 900 youth offenders stay out of jail.
Valentine’s Day is a day of love. This year, Serve took advantage of this day devoted to romance and affection, to deliver an important message about teenage pregnancy. On February 14th, Serve had young men hand out over 1000 special Valentine’s to teenage girls at bus stops adjacent to a half dozen inner city Milwaukee High Schools. On the outside of the heart-shaped cards, were the words, “Baby You’re the One.” Inside the card revealed a wake-up call listing thef trials and tribulations that young teen mothers often face when raising a child alone.
The guerilla effort attracted the attention of the media and is part of the United Way’s outdoor campaign called, “Baby You’re the One.”
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Serve’s latest effort at deglamorizing teen pregnancy features smooth talking young men on bus shelters around Milwaukee, all professing their love and devotion to their girlfriends, at least until a baby comes into the mix.The copy, placed over the faces of handsome young men, quickly morphs from telling teen girls, “they’re so fine,” or “they’re the one,” to explaining that they’re the ones who’ll be buying diapers and getting up in the middle of the night with our baby. They’re the ones that will clean up our baby’s messes.
The campaign, sponsored by the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, also features a radio spot of a smooth talking, Barry White sounding man, who cajoles women with his sweet talk until it comes time to take care of a baby. The ads tell teens to go to babycanwait.org for more information.
Ever wonder what your baby would look like as a strong baby? Well, now there’s an app for that. Because Serve has developed the first ever, Strong Baby App. Available in the Apple store, Serve’s Strong Baby App can turn an average baby into a strong baby. The app allows you to take a photo of your baby and put it on one of Serve’s 6 strong babies. Then post you can photo to the Strong Baby Facebook Page and share with family and friends.
Have fun and help the City of Milwaukee Health Department to promote the many healthy behaviors, parents and expecting parents can do, before and after birth to increase their odds of having a strong baby.
The app is currently only available on the I-Phone. An Android version will be available shortly.
Milwaukee City officials announced in October that the teen pregnancy rate declined for the fifth straight year, reaching historic lows. Officials attribute the 36% drop to aggressive public awareness campaigns, and increased sex education in the schools. Serve has launched over 30 awareness campaigns targeted at teens over the past six years. The new numbers keep the city on track to achieve its goal of reducing teen pregancy by 46% by 2015.
The ongoing prevention campaign was honored by the White House for its unprecedented success in community collaboration.
If you didn’t see these eye-catching bus shelters in Milwaukee, chances are you saw it on the news or in the newspaper. Because the latest teen pregnancy campaign is not targeted at teens, but their parents. It’s all a part of an awareness effort centered around Let’s Talk Month, a national initiative to empower parents to be the primary sexual health educators of their children. Serve produced the campaign which shows teens crammed into high chairs, car seats and strollers with the headline “Your Baby’s Not a Baby Anymore.” The ads direct parents to talk to their kids about sex and directs them to BabyCanWait.com where they can download a Lets Talk Toolkit. This toolkit helps parents open conversation with their children on sex and healthy relationships. Small post card versions of the ads were also distributed to local libraries, barbershops, and beauty salons. Since October, nearly 2,500 toolkits have been downloaded and distributed through the United Way of Greater Milwaukee.
Thanks to a very generous donation from Clear Channel outdoor, Serve, in conjunction with the City of Milwaukee Health Department launched a new outdoor campaign in response to more infant deaths in the central city. The campaign, which started with teaser billboard and bus shelter images showing babies on their backs in a crib. After two weeks, a simple message was added to the outdoor. “Babies Should Always Sleep in a Crib.” The campaign is part of the City of Milwaukee’s ongoing effort to reduce the city’s black infant mortality rate by 15% and its overall rate by 10% by 2017.
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