Ad Council, Futures Without Violence and YouTube Star Meghan Rienks Partner to Prevent Teen Dating Violence
New Mobile-First Campaign Uses Kik and Other Digital Tools to Help Teens Draw Their Own Digital Line
PR Newswire, New York, July 14, 2015 – To help prevent teen dating abuse throughout the country, Futures Without Violence and the Ad Council today launched a new mobile-first campaign as part of their “That’s Not Cool” public service effort. The national campaign aims to empower teens to set their own boundaries in their relationships when communicating through digital and social media. YouTube Creator Meghan Rienks is joining the effort as part of the Ad Council’s Creators for Good program with new exclusive video content that will be distributed to her more than 1.7 million subscribers.
One in four teens in a relationship report that they have been called names, harassed or put down by their partner through cell phone calls and texts. The “That’s Not Cool” initiative helps teens build healthy relationship skills and teaches them that controlling behavior online or on mobile devices can be a form of abuse. The new “Cool Not Cool” campaign tools aim to further encourage teens to “draw their own digital line” about what is, or is not, acceptable relationship behavior.
With a focus on reaching teens on their mobile devices, the launch includes a new mobile-first website that uses interactive quiz cards to help teens identify inappropriate relationship interactions and empowers them to “draw their own digital line.” Created by Archrival, a creative agency expert in youth culture, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, CoolNotCoolQuiz.org outlines various dating scenarios and asks teens to decide what they think is “Cool” or “Not Cool” by swiping left or right. In partnership with Kik, the popular chat network with over 200 million users, the campaign will be featured as a Kik Promoted Chat account, where teens can opt-in to engage in customized conversations around appropriate communications in relationships. To chat with the campaign, teens can find “thatsnotcool” on Kik. In an effort to further engage teens nationwide, the campaign will also be extended across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, and Tumblr. HelpsGood, a digital agency in Los Angeles, is managing the communities on social media.
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Meghan Rienks, a 21-year-old YouTube lifestyle New Media star with a YouTube channel that reaches over 1.7 million subscribers, will be a voice for the campaign and will be helping to promote the “Cool Not Cool” quiz through videos and her social media platforms. Rienks is the first to participate in the Ad Council’s Creators for Good program, which launched in April to coincide with the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Digital NewFronts.
“I’ve always seen YouTube as a platform to voice issues that are personal to me, and I’m really glad to be able to share these great tools with my viewers,” said Rienks. “It can be hard for teens to talk about their dating experiences, so social media is a place they go when they’re feeling alone. My fans are my friends and my community – that’s why it’s really important for me to address issues that can help them learn how to prevent and respond to inappropriate digital behavior.”
This launch is an extension of the “That’s Not Cool” Teen Dating Violence Prevention initiative, launched by Futures Without Violence and the Ad Council in 2009. Since the start of “That’s Not Cool,” the effort has received over $64 million in donated media with over 7.4 million unique visitors to ThatsNotCool.com, the campaign’s main website.
“Teen dating violence – and particularly digital abuse – is an often hidden and serious issue, and one that undermines young people’s growth and potential,” said Futures Without Violence founder and president Esta Soler. “That’s Not Cool gives teens the tools and confidence to set their own healthy boundaries and have more positive, non-violent dating experiences.”
“Empowering teens to set boundaries in their relationships has never been more important,” said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “Our goal is to help teens feel equipped to determine what is ‘cool’ for them when navigating their relationships. Through their respective channels, our partners including Archrival, Kik and Meghan Rienks, have done a fantastic job of helping them do exactly that.”
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Futures Without Violence
Futures Without Violence is a national nonprofit organization leading groundbreaking educational programs, policies, and campaigns that empower individuals and organizations working to end violence against women and children around the world. Providing leadership from offices in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Boston, the organization has trained thousands of professionals and advocates–such as doctors, nurses, judges, athletic coaches, and other community influencers–on improving responses to violence and abuse. To learn more visit www.FuturesWithoutViolence.org.
The Ad Council
The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshaling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has affected, and continues to affect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or view our PSAs on YouTube.
Meghan Rienks
Meghan Rienks is a comedic lifestyle YouTube star with over 1.6 million YouTube Subscribers, 752K Instagram followers, and 263K Twitter fans. Some of her credits include hosting BEAUTY BREAK for Defy Media, MAKEUP MISHAPS for the ilovemakeup YouTube channel, and SHIPPING JULIA for Awesomeness TV. She was recently named Teen Vogue’s Top 6 Instagram A-Listers for her wildly popular and very fashionable Instagram posts @meghanrienks. To see more please visit https://www.youtube.com/c/meghanrienks.
Archrival
Archrival is a creative agency with an expertise in youth culture. Known for their big ideas, they help brands attract and engage young adults from teens to twenty-somethings in relevant ways than span the real world to digital platforms. With offices in Lincoln, Nebraska and Portland, Oregon, Archrival never-says-die for clients such as Red Bull, adidas, Intel and Razer. For more, visit archrival.com.