• by Larissa Faw , May 8, 2015

Each spring, the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN) launches a fund-raising drive to raise money and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million patient visits each year to kids in North America.

This year, the campaign is getting some extra support as CMN names Jennifer Lopez as its first national celebrity spokesperson.

With J-Lo’s high profile as an "American Idol" judge, CMN felt she could bring ample attention to the cause.

This year’s campaign also has some extra firepower from its new relationship with Starcom MediaVest Group's Spark. The Publicis-owned agency is providing its services pro bono and its work includes the development of the strategic and tactical plans for TV, online video and display advertising, as well as negotiating all placements and added value for these media.

Under this initiative, CMN spots will run on "American Idol" starting May 6 as a build up for finale week, with ads appearing in the episode on May 12 and the season finale on May 13.

Ads with Jennifer Lopez will also appear in cable and digital on "Good Morning America," "Today Show," Food Network, and HGTV. Spark developed custom digital content tailored to upscale online users who are reading content online specific to charity, humanitarianism and philanthropy.

Although the organization has always had strong support from celebrities, including its founders Marie Osmond and John Schneider, for this campaign, CMN Hospitals wanted to align with a high-profile, relatable celebrity who would motivate people to donate money to their local children’s hospitals.

"Lopez is a natural fit; she is a mother to twins and a longtime supporter of children’s hospitals through her Lopez Family Foundation, already demonstrating her fundraising prowess and commitment to improving children’s health," says Deb Medsker, SVP, global director at Spark. "Lopez also has shown tremendous emotion and likeability in her role as a judge on 'American Idol' and can speak directly to Spanish-speaking audiences."

Another significant upgrade that Spark is making to this annual drive is through a sophisticated geo-targeting component that serves 140 different pieces of CMN’s digital creative, each one tailored to mention by name the local CMN hospital associated with the DMA in which the ad appears. People in Chicago, for example, will see an ad that suggests a donation to Chicago Children’s Hospital.

"While geo-targeting itself is admittedly not a new tactic, the real story with this campaign is the scope of Spark’s use of the technology," says Medsker. "Because we know from past experience that people are more likely to give generously to charities directly benefiting others in their own communities, it was important that this national campaign have a local face to it."

Still, it is a key challenge to strike the right balance between tailored local messaging and cost-effective, broad-reaching national media. "Because of the importance of associating CMN with potential donors’ local children’s hospitals, we explored a number of solutions for delivering CMN messages with local hospital call-outs," says Medsker.

"In the end, the combination of geo-targeted display and online video coupled with an optimized national TV campaign incorporating Ms. Lopez’s high-profile presence on American Idol delivered the balance of local resonance and national reach that we were seeking," she adds.

Spark signed on with CMN last fall, when the agency collaborated with the group on the “Extra Life” 24-hour gaming marathon benefit. What began in 1983 as a telethon raising nearly $4.8 million for 22 children’s hospitals has grown into an organization that raises funds for 170 hospitals across North America, helping more than 10 million kids each year. While there are still telethons, most of the fundraising occurs through programs, events and more than 80 corporate partners. The organization has raised more than $5 billion and is on target to raise $1 billion a year by 2022.