Note to Correspondents

NEW YORK FESTIVALS/UN DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION AWARDS

 

FOR PUBLIC SERVICE ADVERTISING TO BE PRESENTED TODAY

 

Winning Entries Feature Campaigns on Gender

Violence, Environment, Gun Control, Tolerance, Disabilities

Advertising agencies from Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom will be honoured for public service advertising today, when the United Nations Department of Public Information awards are presented at the New York Festivals 2008 International Advertising Awards at New World Stages, New York City.

The UNDPI Gold Award will be presented to Publicis Stockholm, Sweden, for the outdoor advertising campaign “Amnesty Roses” produced for Amnesty International.  The Silver Award goes to Springer & Jacoby of Hamburg, Germany, for the television campaign “Safari” produced for the International Fund for Animals (IFAW).  The winner of the Bronze Award is Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO for the television campaign “Kill the Gun” produced for Choice FM.

“Amnesty Roses” raises awareness about female genital mutilation.  The campaign uses rosebuds as a metaphor to illustrate how this procedure violates women.

Using humour in its television campaign, “Safari” highlights how the number of wild animals has dramatically decreased.

To address gun-crime and violence within the African-American community, “Kill the Gun” draws attention to the reality of pulling a trigger and its cause and effect.

In addition, honourable mentions will go to Publicis Peru for the print advertisement “Día del No Fumador” for Diario Perú 21; Leo Burnett of Sydney, Australia, for the radio campaign “Together”, produced for Earth Hour; Leo Burnett of Mumbai for “Mad Man”, a television campaign for the National Association for the Blind; and Arnold for “Subway”, a television campaign for think.mtv.com.

Juan Carlos Brandt, Chief of Advocacy and Special Events in the Outreach Division of the Department of Public Information, will present this year’s awards.

Jointly sponsored by the Department and the New York Festivals, the awards were established in 1990 to honour advertising that best exemplifies the ideals and goals of the United Nations.  This year’s panel of judges reviewed more than 100 television, radio and print submissions on United Nations-related themes such as peace and security, climate change and racial prejudice.  They then selected the top four to receive the awards.

The New York Festivals, founded in 1957, oversees six international awards competitions, in film and video, television programming and promotions, radio programming and promotions, television and radio advertising, design and print advertising, and interactive media.

For more information, please contact Dina Daoud, tel.:  +1 917 367 1088, e-mail:  daoudd@un.org.

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For information media • not an official record