iHeartMedia, ICX Media Form the MediaSavingLives Alliance

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, May 5, 2020

ICX Media and iHeartMedia

MediaSavingLives, an alliance of global media, technology and entertainment companies, announced their support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) efforts to help younger Americans embrace their role in slowing and stopping the spread of COVID-19. Formed in mid-March and organized in conjunction with iHeartMedia and ICX Media the alliance is committed to supporting the public throughout the pandemic and beyond and will evolve its youth-targeted messaging focused on staying home, testing and eventually vaccination.

Other Founding Alliance member companies include ZypMedia, Rubicon Project/Telaria, SpotX, Yieldmo, OUTFRONT Media, GroundTruth, Division-D and Zeta Global. MediaSavingLives adopts a data-driven approach to identifying target audiences and messaging that will yield the greatest public impact. Research shows that Millennials are more likely to feel invincible, leading them to be less likely to follow the CDC's recommendations about how to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The Alliance's first public service campaign, "Don't Stop," which specifically aims to reach Generation-Z and Millennials, was released Tuesday. The radio, outdoor, digital and social creative encourages resilience, connection and social creativity in adopting self-isolation practices during the pandemic. The compelling ads feature ordinary people and celebrities including Anne-Marie, Backstreet Boys, Camila Cabello, Demi Lovato, Luke Combs, Mariah Carey, Papa Roach, Sam Smith, Tim McGraw, Tori Kelly and more.

The campaign demonstrates how people are adapting to their new environments amid varying state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions, and provides hope and inspiration to stay at home and stop the spread. The goal is to empower young adults to focus on helping their communities by contributing their talents and supporting those they love during the crisis.

"Don't Stop," which was created and donated by Brunet-Garcia, a social impact marketing agency, will be distributed through a wide variety of channels, including digital, mobile, pre-roll video, connected and local television, broadcast radio and out-of-home digital assets.

All future Alliance messaging will be developed in response to the current state of the pandemic and will take into consideration data trends and private and public feedback from government and health officials. Sensis, an integrated cross-cultural marketing agency will provide strategic direction by combining data intelligence with relevant cultural insights.

The coalition aims to deliver one billion media impressions over the next three months on behalf of federal, state and county health initiatives. The creative displayed on the various platforms will drive the audience to coronavirus.gov or a specific state or county website endorsed by the local health departments.

"We are grateful for all of the efforts of our partners in the MediaSavingLives Alliance," said ICX Media CEO Serge Matta. "I am proud that, together, we can inspire hard-to-reach and at-risk young adults to make impactful daily choices and to acknowledge that small moments of empowerment and resourcefulness can save lives."

"MediaSavingLives is passionate and committed to support our health experts, government officials and essential workers in our collective efforts to protect our global citizens from the COVID-19 pandemic," added iHeartMedia Markets Group President Greg Ashlock. "We are grateful for the sacrifices so many citizens are making to support public safety, and to those who are self-isolating, we say - Don't Stop."