NEW YORK, April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ad
Council and TEACH have formed a unique outreach campaign with
Microsoft's Advertising team in an effort to recruit the next
generation of teachers who will drive innovation and redefine
teaching in K-12 classrooms. Microsoft donated over 125 million
impressions across Xbox 360, Windows 8, and MSN in order to
encourage consumers to rediscover teaching through interactive ad
units. This media effort is an extension of the Ad Council and
TEACH's public service advertising (PSA) campaign, Make
More, which launched in November
2013.
"The most important part of student's education is the person
standing in front of the classroom. The TEACH campaign, is designed
to ensure that we have a continuous pipeline of great teachers
coming into our education system," said James Bernard, Global Director, Strategy
Partnerships, Microsoft Worldwide Education. "As a company, we hope
to help this fresh generation of high-achieving teachers to embrace
and teach with technology, using the most effective teaching
practices to nurture, inspire, and educate every
student."
TEACH is a national campaign supported by Microsoft, State Farm,
and the U.S. Department of Education to encourage the nation's
brightest students to consider careers in teaching. Working with
the Ad Council, Microsoft has created probono interactive
advertisements that rolled out on Microsoft platforms in
February 2014. Microsoft's MSN
division kicked off their support of the TEACH partnership by
donating more than 47 million impressions in media banner inventory
to the TEACH campaign. Throughout March, consumers were able
to engage with TEACH "NUads on Xbox," via gesture, voice or
controller on their Xbox 360 consoles. Following the play of the
TEACH PSAs, users were invited to answer questions such as, "What
was the first thing you wanted to be when you grew up?"
Most recently, Microsoft leveraged their Windows 8 platform to
provide a unique experience to consumers, enabling them to navigate
through a series of questions to help "discover their true
passion," along with the opportunity to play challenging mind and
word games, such as a word scramble and tangrams. Experiences
include:
- A "Personality Quiz" to define consumers' passions/
interests and encourage them to teach a particular subject;
- Games that challenge and test logic and reasoning skills –
skills needed to be a great teacher;
- Opportunities to watch PSAs and other videos from the
TEACH.org website; and
- Access to an interactive pathway on TEACH.org to explore
the teaching profession.
To see a demo of the Windows 8 platform experience, click
here.
"Our TEACH campaign research has shown that millennials are
interested in a career where they can make a difference," said
Peggy Conlon, President and CEO of
the Ad Council. "Through Microsoft Advertising's enormous
generosity and creativity we can reach our target on platforms
where they are extremely active and engaged thereby exposing them
to an impactful education profession."
"Teachers are the unsung heroes in our children's lives," said
Stephen Kim, Microsoft Advertising
VP of Global Agencies and Accounts. "It's our duty to celebrate
their tireless efforts and to attract top talent to ensure a bright
future for our world. We are honored to be able to work with the Ad
Council on this very important cause."
Launched in November 2013,
the multimedia PSA campaign demonstrates that the classroom as we
know it is evolving and innovating, and teachers can make a lasting
impact on generations of students. The PSAs drive to TEACH.org
where users can learn about the different pathways to become a
teacher, depending on their education, location and
interests. As of March, over 100,000 users had completed
the interactive pathway in just seven months. The site also
connects students with information about certification for various
teaching jobs and offers a national job directory for users looking
to explore the landscape of potential employment opportunities.
About TEACH
We will see over a million teaching jobs
open in the next decade. We have an urgent need and
unprecedented opportunity to drive the transformation of K-12
education by encouraging and empowering our nation's most talented
students to teach. TEACH is leading the movement to recruit the
next generation of teachers by redefining the profession as a top
career choice. This public-private partnership is lead by
Microsoft, State Farm and the U.S. Department of Education, and
supported by the nation's top education organizations and teacher
associations. To learn more, visit www.TEACH.org, like us at
Facebook.com/TEACH.org or follow us on Twitter @TEACHorg.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") was founded
in 1975. Our mission is to enable people and businesses throughout
the world to realize their full potential by creating technology
that transforms the way people work, play, and communicate.
Note to editors: For more information, news and
perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center
at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers
and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have
changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may
contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate
contacts listed
at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.
About Microsoft Advertising
Microsoft Advertising
provides advertisers and publishers with digital media and support
to help drive deep and profitable engagement with consumers across
Microsoft's devices and services. This includes a media network
that reaches hundreds of millions of consumers around the world,
and services and sales support that help untangle the complexities
of digital media to get more value from marketing and content
investments. Microsoft Advertising makes buying and selling simple
on leading media and innovative devices that include Windows 8,
Windows Phone, Xbox, Skype, Bing, MSN and more. More information is
available
at http://advertising.microsoft.com.
About 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.com/adcouncil, follow us on Twitter @adcouncil or view our
PSAs on YouTube.
SOURCE Ad Council