In partnership with the Ad Council, ViacomCBS’ Entertainment & Youth Brands led by MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, CMT and VH1, launched #AloneTogether, a national social- and talent-led campaign that educates audiences on the importance of social distancing and drives unity through entertainment. A focus on mental health is a vital part of the effort, underscoring that social distancing does not mean social isolation.
As of now, the mobile ads encourage people to stay home, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. Each ad includes the hashtag #AloneTogether and the following message: “We’ll be here to keep you company.”
These brands are developing #AloneTogether content to be shared collectively to their more than 500 million social followers, communicating the public health message through their distinct brand voices. Creative executions include:
- Self-shot videos and live takeovers from music and celebrity talent across the portfolio sharing how they are #AloneTogether at home
- Daily engagement through series’ social accounts, encouraging conversation and among fans
- Inspiring profiles of young people who are making a difference during this pandemic
The campaign will also be tailored and supported by Nickelodeon, BET, CBS and CBS All-Access, Awesomeness, Pluto TV and Showtime. The open-source model is designed to easily and quickly expand across ViacomCBS and beyond. Further, a toolkit of core creative assets is being developed so that #AloneTogether messaging can be used by other cable, broadcast, digital, social and audio companies. It is flexible, tailored by brand/audience, low-lift and social-first. It also is complementary to any other PSA creative.
The Ad Council is also collaborating to extend #AloneTogether through its network of national media partners, platforms and influencers.
Artists and talent from MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, CMT and VH1 – along with the rest of the E&Y brands – today featured the #AloneTogether across their social platforms,
Jersey Shore’s Pauly D, Trevor Noah, David Spade,
RuPaul’s Drag Race,
Black Ink Crew and the
Schitt’s Creek cast, among others.
In addition, NBCU has created warnings for those most at risk for coronavirus, including those over 65, those with diabetes and heart disease and cancer.
Watch the first PSA below.
The campaign was created and produced internally by MTV’s digital and creative leads.
The ads are running on social via the various channels’ accounts. Individual series, such as
Siesta Key and
Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, are also sharing the ads. A ViacomCBS spokesperson said the ads are also being supported with digital paid media for now.
From
Deadline:
MTV, Comedy Central & Other ViacomCBS Brands Launch Social Distancing Campaign #AloneTogether
It’s the new normal — for now, at least — and ViacomCBS’ Entertainment & Youth Brands are teaming to raise awareness about social distancing.
MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, CMT and VH1 have joined forces with the Ad Council for #AloneTogether, a national campaign to promote safety and unity in the coronavirus era. Watch the first PSA above.
Among the celebrities taking part in the campaign are folks from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Schitt’s Creek, Jersey Shore Vacation and Black Ink Crew. Comedy Central late-night hosts Trevor Noah and David Spade also are featured. The content will be shared among their collective half-billion-plus social media followers.
ViacomCBS describes #AloneTogether as a national social- and talent-led campaign that educates audiences on the importance of social distancing and drives unity through entertainment. “A focus on mental health is a vital part of the effort, underscoring that social distancing does not mean social isolation,” it said.
The campaign also also will be tailored and supported by Nickelodeon, BET, CBS and CBS All-Access, Awesomeness, Pluto TV and Showtime. The open-source model is designed to expand across ViacomCBS and beyond.
###
From
Multichannel News:
ViacomCBS Partners With Ad Council to Launch Social Distancing Promo Campaign
MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network to drive #AloneTogether campaign
ViacomCBS has teamed with the Ad Council to create a national campaign promoting social distancing in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
The campaign, #AloneTogether, is a national social and talent-led campaign that educates audiences on the importance of social distancing through entertainment, according to company officials.
The move comes as the US is in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has advised against gatherings of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks to curb the spread of the disease, while President Trump has advocated for avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people.
MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, CMT and VH1 will drive the #AloneTogether campaign, which will feature video content -- including self-shot video and live takeovers from music and celebrity talent showing how they are spending their time at home -- that will be shared collectively to their more than 500 million social media followers, according to ViacomCBS. The campaign will also be tailored and supported by all ViacomCBS platforms, including Nickelodeon, BET, CBS and CBS All-Access, Awesomeness, Pluto TV and Showtime.
ViacomCBS and the Ad Council will also develop a toolkit of core creative assets so that #AloneTogether messaging can be used and expanded upon by other cable, broadcast, digital, social and audio companies.
###
From
AdWeek:
Viacom and Ad Council Debut #AloneTogether, a Social Campaign About Social Distancing
Ads encourage young people to stay home—and presumably watch TV
Key insight:
Live celebrity takeovers and profiles of youth making a difference to come.
As more and more people stay inside their homes to slow the spread of COVID-19, ViacomCBS is unveiling a PSA campaign that aims to “communicate the importance of social distancing” at such a crucial time.
The effort is being led by the company’s portfolio of entertainment and youth brands—which includes MTV, Comedy Central, CMT and VH1—in partnership with the Ad Council.
As of now, the campaign includes a set of fairly generic mobile ads that encourage people to stay home, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. Each ad includes the hashtag #AloneTogether and the following message: “We’ll be here to keep you company.”
The ads are running on social via the various channels’ accounts. Individual series, such as Siesta Key and Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, are also sharing the ads. A ViacomCBS spokesperson said the ads are also being supported with digital paid media for now.
The campaign was created and produced internally by MTV’s digital and creative leads. According to ViacomCBS, the #AloneTogether campaign will include a number of other elements, including live takeovers from music and celebrity talent, daily engagement through series’ social accounts and profiles of young people who are making a difference through this pandemic. Celebrities including Trevor Noah and David Spade, both of whom have their own shows on Comedy Central, have already posted content in support of the campaign.
Other campaign elements slated to roll out in the coming weeks include a TikTok #AloneTogether challenge and a YouTube Live “Chill Out 24 Hour Livestream.”
ViacomCBS said it is developing a toolkit of creative assets so that the campaign’s messaging can be used by other cable, broadcast, digital, social and audio companies. The PSA is also being tailored and supported by some of the company’s other properties, including Nickelodeon, BET, CBS and CBS All-Access, Awesomeness, Pluto TV and Showtime. Additionally, the Ad Council is working with ViacomCBS to extend the effort through its network of national media partners, platforms and influencers.
###
Official Ad Council press release:
Ad Council, along with White House, CDC, HHS and Major Media Networks and Digital Platforms, to Launch National PSAs in response to Coronavirus Pandemic
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ad Council is working in collaboration with the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and major media networks and digital platforms to launch a series of national public service ads (PSAs) and multi-channel content to provide critical and urgent messages to the American public. The creative assets focus on reaching high-risk populations and the general public with messages around social distancing, personal hygiene and mental health. The PSAs direct audiences to visit www.coronavirus.gov, a centralized resource that includes up-to-date information on the crisis.
The country’s largest media companies and digital platforms have committed to use their channels to support consistent messaging across TV, radio, social media, outdoor and digital media.
The following creative assets were developed in partnership with the Ad Council and the White House:
- NBCUniversal created a series of digital videos and social graphics, available in both English and Spanish, to inform high-risk populations about the steps they can take to protect themselves and the public about how they can help stop of the spread of coronavirus. The PSAs are available beginning tomorrow.
- National broadcast PSAs featuring the Surgeon General will communicate the most important ways Americans can protect themselves and those most at risk. That script, developed by Group SJR, will also be available as a template for media companies to create assets with their own public health officials. The PSAs will be distributed to stations later this week.
The following creative assets were developed in partnership with the Ad Council and media companies and platforms:
- ViacomCBS is launching a multiplatform campaign led by MTV and the company’s Entertainment & Youth Brands to communicate the importance of social distancing that will be tailored and supported across the ViacomCBS portfolio and available to all media companies who want to get involved.
- The Atlantic’s internal creative studio is developing customized digital creative that provides access to relevant information.
- iHeartMedia will support messaging around social distancing and high-risk populations, among other important COVID-19-related topics, across their network of stations.
- ABC/WaltDisney Television is working on priority messaging for parents and families for distribution across their channels and platforms.
All PSAs and content will air and run in time and space that will be donated by the media. For media assets, visit
https://www.psacentral.org/
The Ad Council
The Ad Council is where creativity and causes converge. The non-profit organization brings together the most creative minds in advertising, media, technology and marketing to address many of the nation’s most important causes. The Ad Council has created many of the most iconic campaigns in advertising history. Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk. Smokey Bear. Love Has No Labels.
The Ad Council has a long history of creating life-saving public service communications in times of national crisis, starting in the organization’s earliest days during World War II to September 11th and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy. Its deep relationships with media outlets, the creative community, issue experts and government leaders make the organization uniquely poised to quickly distribute life-saving information to millions of Americans.
The Ad Council’s innovative social good campaigns raise awareness, inspire action and save lives. To learn more, visit
AdCouncil.org, follow the Ad Council’s communities on
Facebook and
Twitter, and view the creative on
YouTube.
###
