Dentsu, Media Companies, Marketers Work To Improve Child Literacy

Last year, Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) and agency Future Proof started sponsoring the national nonprofit literacy and mentoring organization “Read To A Child.” 

In addition to fundraising and sponsorship for the group's Give Me $5 initiative, DAN collaborated to provide strategy, marketing and media guidance for the campaign, while Carat provided its services to develop donor profiles.   

Now, the Dentsu Aegis Network is expanding its involvement with this organization. The Detroit office is participating in the “Read to a Child” lunchtime reading program with participants from Carat, iProspect and Isobar volunteering weekly during the school year to read aloud to a child.

Tracy Pearce, global CSR engagement manager at Dentsu Aegis Network, sits on the national advisory board for Read to a Child and Robbyn Ennis, director Carat Multi-Cultural Detroit, sits on the regional advisory board for the charity. 

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This month, DAN is lending its services for “Spark Something Meaningful,” the second annual digital fundraising campaign hoping to raise $100,000 to combat childhood illiteracy -- 80% of fourth graders from low-income families are not proficient in reading, reports the group. Last year's initiative raised just over $51,000, over its goal of $50,000.  

The iProspect office in Boston was the first to get involved with “Read to a Child.” It then introduced the organization to the broader Dentsu Aegis Network. This year, agency Posterscope worked with Clear Channel to run an outdoor campaign on a Times Square billboard that appears for two minutes per hour between May 15 and 31.

Dentsu Aegis Network, Posterscope, Clear Channel and Outfront Media are donating marketing and media services for the campaign. Other top sponsors include Pitney Bowes, Arclight Capital, Baron Funds, and the Tarini Family.  

The concept encourages supporters and fundraisers to help spread the message "Help Kids in Need Love to Read" by sharing a personal story about "who sparked their love of reading" in a social media post. The post, along with a favorite "book selfie" image, is then passed along to networks of friends and family, challenging them to do the same.  

“We are proud to be a sponsor of the Read to a Child digital campaign and it is exciting to come together with other agencies and partners in a collaborative effort -- all in support of creating a social-media literacy movement,” says Pearce. Proceeds from the campaign will go to “Read to a Child” to fund their lunchtime reading program.

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