“Project Roadblock” Partnership with TVB Reaches a New Platform; 2010 NAB Show
LAS VEGAS – The Open Mobile Video Coalition’s real-world showcase of Mobile Digital Television, scheduled to take place this spring with local television stations transmitting to viewers in the Washington, D.C. market, will feature the Ad Council’s “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” messages. The initiative is an outgrowth of the Ad Council’s six-year “Project Roadblock” partnership with the Television Bureau of Advertising and was announced at a special OMVC breakfast here at the National Association of Broadcasters Show.
“We expect Mobile DTV to be very popular with younger viewers, given the popularity of mobile devices with ‘millennials,’ said Gannett Broadcasting Division President Dave Lougee. “That’s Project Roadblock’s target audience, and we expect we’ll gather some very interesting research on the impact of the Ad Council’s messages on this demo through mobile devices.”
“Our Buzzed Driving PSAs are currently designed to reach young adults, the group most likely to drive while impaired,” said Charlie Rutman, Executive Director of Media for the Ad Council. “Given the percentage of young people in our target audience who own a mobile device, the Mobile TV platform is a wonderful opportunity for our messages. We are grateful to the TVB for their continued support of this critical effort.”
The Ad Council, together with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has partnered with TVB for six years to create an industry “roadblock” in which hundreds of local broadcast television stations donated airtime for the TV spots between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, a time when alcohol-impaired driving fatalities are at their highest. Last year’s roadblock reached stations in media markets representing more than 99 percent of the country.
Abby Auerbach, EVP and chief marketing officer at TVB, said, “Over the past six years, Project Roadblock campaigns have expanded from traditional spots to include web ads, digital channels and text messaging. Now this Mobile DTV application is an additional demonstration of the wide variety of advertising options offered by local broadcast television stations.”
“Broadcaster support for a wide range of public service messages has helped to build public awareness for many important campaigns over the years. With the introduction of Mobile DTV, we’re delighted to extend those good works to a mobile platform to reach all viewers — but especially younger viewers — with the message to prevent drunk driving,” said Anne Schelle, Executive Director of the 30-member Open Mobile Video Coalition.
The Mobile TV campaign will run in the period surrounding the July 4 holiday, which is a time of year, like the last week in December, when impaired-driving incidents spike.
The effort will not just feature the “Buzzed Driving” 30-second spots on participating Washington stations, which will be seen as a mobile user is watching a station’s broadcast. It will also include interstitial (channel change) ads that take over the screen for a few seconds when the user is changing channels on his/her mobile device. And there will be “Buzzed Driving” banner ads on the channel guide screen that will allow the user to click to a website.
The Washington, D.C. test will result in qualitative feedback via Harris Interactive’s Early Adopter Community and Rentrak’s TV Essentials.
ABOUT THE AD COUNCIL
The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization that marshals talent from the advertising and communications industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and non-profit communities to produce, distribute and promote public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies. The Ad Council addresses issue areas such as improving the quality of life for children, preventive health, education, community well-being, environmental preservation and strengthening families.
ABOUT THE OPEN MOBILE VIDEO COALITION
Representing nearly 900 TV stations across the country, the Open Mobile Video Coalition is a voluntary association of television broadcasters whose mission is to accelerate the development of mobile digital television in the United States. The OMVC is composed of 30 members that own and operate over 500 commercial television stations, as well as the Association of Public Television Stations, Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Public Broadcasting Service, which represent an additional 360 public television stations. Membership in the OMVC is open to all U.S.-based television broadcasters. For more information, please visit http://www.omvc.org.
ABOUT THE TELEVISION BUREAU OF ADVERTISING
The Television Bureau of Advertising is the not-for-profit trade association of America’s broadcast television industry. Its members include television broadcast groups, advertising sales reps, syndicators, international broadcasters, associate members and over 600 individual television stations. TVB promotes the benefits of local broadcast television platforms to the advertising community and in doing so works to develop advertising dollars for U.S. Spot Television. TVB provides a diverse variety of tools and resources, including this website, to support its Members and to help advertisers make the best use of local television.
