Completed Campaigns:
Extensive market studies have been conducted to develop pro-life messages to reframe the abortion issue with the goal of creating a shift in the public’s attitude from pro-abortion to pro-life. These messages have been used by the Vitae Caring Foundation to develop highly effective thirty-second pro-life TV commercials. When used across the country, they have been tested for their effectiveness with pre- and post- testing. We have been able to make use of this information when choosing the ads to use in Chicago.
In 2000, The Caring Outreach brought pro-life commercials to Chicago network television for the first time. We placed A “Call-for-Help” television commercial on Chicago stations 292 times for seven weeks in February and March of 2000.
This ad was designed specifically to encourage women (and men) in need of pregnancy assistance to call for information and help. When a phone call was placed to the national 1 800 395-HELP CareNet number, the call was automatically routed directly to the pro-life alternative agency which was closest to the caller’s geographic area. If one was not available, the call was covered by operators in CareNet’s national office.
We know that this campaign generated over 2000 calls to that national hotline number and that there were a number of babies saved. The ad that we used demonstrated the care and compassion pro-lifers have for both women and babies.
Vitae Caring Foundation ad “Life Saver” used in 2004 and again in 2005
| At the scene of a fire, a young female firefighter rescues a small child and returns her to distraught, but now grateful parents. “Being alive today has special meaning ...for both of us. There have been times that I almost didn’t make it. But the one time I had the most to lose was before I was even born. My mom was young. Single. No money. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for her to give me a chance. But I know today she’d be very proud—that her decision saved more than one life” |
|
In January of 2004, The Caring Outreach launched another television media effort in the Chicago area. Two messages ran a total of 470 times on all network stations in the Chicago media market.
These pro-life messages, “LifeSaver” and “Sonogram” were placed on programs watched primarily by women 18 to 49 years of age – shows like Days of our Lives, Oprah, Dr. Phil, The Early Show, The Today Show, and a number of local news time shows (all non-prime spots).
Stations WGN, WMAQ/NBC, WBBM/CBS, WFLD/FOX and WCIU accepted and ran both commercials as requested. Only WLS/ABC (Channel 7) refused to run “Sonogram,” although they did accept and run “LifeSaver.” Our time buyer informed us this was the first time that ABC has accepted any pro-life message for their national network stations!
Each and every one of our commercials end with a national pro-life hotline phone number, 1 800-395-HELP to encourage those needing pregnancy assistance to call for help. That number is answered 24/7 by an experienced operator who is able to offer information and/or referrals to local pro-life alternative agencies as needed.
The LifeSaver ad can be viewed at the Vitae Caring Foundation.
Post polling revealed that we were successful in moving women in particular to a more pro-life position. Click here for a full report. (go to Results)
Vitae Caring Foundation ad, “Sonogram” used in 2004
“Sonogram” opens with a woman watching as her daughter has an ultrasound examination of her unborn baby. The older woman says: ”Back when I decided I was pro-choice my daughter was just an infant. The internet was unheard of and today’s medical wonders were unimaginable. We now know an unborn baby’s heart beats at 21 days and they can measure brain waves just nineteen days later. Abortion was legalized about thirty years ago. You can learn a lot in thirty years. What I’ve learned makes me wonder – wonder if abortion really is such an acceptable solution any more” |
|
Post polling once again indicated that we were successful in moving women to a more pro-life position. Click here for a full report. (go to Results)
In 2005, The Caring Outreach placed 68 “LifeSaver” messages on Chicago network television once again. Polling results for the LifeSaver” ad in 2004 and in other parts of the country encouraged its continued use. Once again the CareNet national hotline number was placed at the end of the ad.
Our three TV campaigns brought a total of 830 pro-life messages to millions of people in our seventeen-county media market area.
Our commercials are run on network television during non-prime time slots. They have effectively reached those who would never hear the pro-life perspective in any other way.