CHICAGO: The Centers for Disease Control has awarded its $125 million, five-year integrated public health campaign - one of the
most sought-after government contracts of the year - to Publicis Dialog
and two of its sister agencies, Saatchi & Saatchi and Frankel.
The task is a massive multimedia campaign urging "tweens" (children ages
9-13) to live healthier lives.
Tactics are still under consideration. "We haven't yet had our first
meeting with the CDC, so we aren't certain what it will look like yet,"
said Kathy Hartman, SVP and director of client service at marketing
agency Frankel.
The target audience will include parents of the tweens, the
"influencers," which is where the PR initiative will come in.
"The earned media is much more likely to reach the influencer audience,"
said Hartman. "Newspapers and magazines are things adults tend to read.
Media we might use for kids could be very grassroots. It might be
broadcast media, local events, or interactive media."