• by Fern Siegel , May 17, 2024

Volunteerism in America is down. And the U.S. Air Force wants to kick it up.

It has launched the “Call Out Volunteers” campaign, utilizing actor Jeff Goldblum, skateboarder/entrepreneur Tony Hawk and soccer star Sofía Huerta to encourage Americans to volunteer.

The campaign, created by GSD&M, USAF's agency of record, spans TV, USAF’s social channels and a new micro-site.

“Volunteerism embodies the essence of service before self, a core value of the United States Air Force,” Barry Dickey, CMO, strategic marketing division, Air Force Recruiting Service.

The spots include Jeff Goldblum, Tony Hawk and Sofía Huerta English Version. All encourage Americans to help serve their local communities. The impetus is that the direct approach by name is more effective in reaching audiences.

GSD&M researched the most-popular names in America and narrowed it down to three. Then they tapped celebrities with the same name to help spread the word. The agency estimates the three personalities can engage around 27 million people in the U.S.

The last official U.S. Census and AmeriCorps reports recorded a 7% drop in volunteerism in a span of just two years, meaning less than one out of every four people (23.2% of the population) officially volunteered.

GSD&M remains committed to volunteerism in its local Austin community. Since 2014, the agency has had a 4WARD Volunteer Program. All staffers are allotted up to four hours per month to volunteer at the organization of their choice. In 2023, the 4WARD Program registered over 514 hours of service.

“Giving back has always been at the core of our mission at GSD&M, and we’re grateful to work with clients like the U.S. Air Force that align with that same principle,” Jeff Maki, SVP, group creative director, GSD&M said. “We firmly believe in the power of a single individual to catalyze impactful change.”