The Home Office has taken on agency support as it mounts a campaign
to stop paedophiles using internet chat-rooms.
August.One Communications has won the account on a project basis over
the next three months following a three-way pitch last week.
The agency is tasked with helping warn parents of the dangers of
allowing children unsupervised access to chatrooms.
It will also help the Home Office PR team to highlight sources of
support and counselling that are available.
The campaign follows the setting up of a government taskforce, chaired
by Home Office minister Beverley Hughes in May this year, to look at
ways of curbing the activities of paedophiles on the internet.
Ad agency Ogilvy & Mather was taken on two months ago to create a press
ad campaign, which will launch in December.
Its campaign will run alongside August.One's work, which starts
immediately.
The Home Office estimates that five million children are online in the
UK. There are estimated to be 100,000 chat-rooms on the web.
August.One corporate director Ellie Springett leads the account,
reporting to Home Office head of publicity Gill Stuart.
This is the first COI account win for the agency since it was added to
the 28-strong roster in August.
