Advertising for a Better World

Article Tools

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

'It's not always easy to [use volunteers] because a lot of agencies don't want their creatives to work outside for anyone else,' Knoll says. 'But people are starting to know us and what we stand for. We're not trying to hire their people away.'

Mueller's bosses at BVK provide a solid chunk of funding and support for Serve, but as with any nonprofit venture, there are ongoing struggles. 'It's a big undertaking,' Knoll says. 'We don't look for big salaries. We constantly have to be fund-raising for ourselves in order to pay rent. But it's always for good causes, and our hope is that other agencies will be inspired to do similar things.'

As for what inspired Mueller to create Serve in the first place, he proudly points to his work with the Shaken Baby Association, a small Milwaukee-area group dedicated to educating parents and caregivers about the dangers of shaking infants and small children. When her own son suffered severe brain damage after being shaken by a sitter, Shaken Baby Association cofounder Margie Stelzel decided to team with other mothers in hopes of raising awareness about a largely unpublicized problem. They eventually sought help from Mueller.

'Here was an organization that had no money, no well-heeled board, no connections, and there was this terrible epidemic in Milwaukee, this rash of shakings,' Mueller recalls. 'I thought, if you had only one chance to get the message out, what would you do?'

The resulting campaign focused on a bold radio spot: A baby cries uninterrupted for nearly 60 seconds, followed by a concise admonition that, no matter how tired or frustrated you are, you 'never, ever shake a baby.' Mueller helped to organize a so-called radio roadblock in which every major station in Milwaukee broadcast the spot at the same time. Not only did the event generate media coverage for the cause, but it also captured the attention of a state senator who subsequently introduced legislation to mandate education on the topic.

'What Gary is doing is saying, 'I've had a good life and now I'm giving back,'' Stelzel says. 'It's not because of money; it's trying to make this world a better place.'

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print