Marketing Magazine

by Nicola Clark,
22 May 2007, 8:30am

Madeleine campaign to run on donated airtime

LONDON - The campaign to help find missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann is to run ads on UK TV after media and creative agencies became the latest organisations to donate airtime and their services to the girl's family.

ZenithOptimedia is donating inventory for the campaign, which is poised to run on terrestrial and satellite channels.

The activity follows a viral campaign to publicise the girl's disappearance and distribute her picture across the world to familiarise as many people as possible with her appearance.

The ad campaign, which has been created with the approval of the McCann family, can be viewed on YouTube in six languages.

This activity is part of an unprecedented drive to ensure that Madeleine's case retains its high profile.

Last weekend a two-minute film asking for help was screened at the FA Cup and Heineken Cup Finals. A text campaign is also being run by mobile operators Vodafone, O2 and Telefonica.

Banks, petrol stations and travel brands are among the businesses supporting the campaign by displaying posters and overseeing cash collections. National Express Group has teamed up with the National Missing Persons Helpline to ensure that posters of Madeleine will be distributed at more than 500 European destinations.

Details of how to donate to the McCann family's fighting fund can be found on the campaign website at www.findmadeleine.com. The site, which has received more than 100m hits, includes photos, a downloadable poster and contact information.

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