LOS ANGELES, Jan. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Team One, Publicis Groupe’s fully integrated media, digital and communications agency for premium brands, today announced it has been selected as the brand agency of record for Make-A-Wish®, the organization that creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
With this appointment, Team One will support strategy and creative for Make-A-Wish on a pro-bono basis. The team will be based in Los Angeles, led by Executive Creative Director, Kirsten Rutherford, who has a longstanding relationship with the organization. Rutherford was recently honored for her support and advocacy work with the nonprofit, receiving the Douglas Kiker Award for Excellence in Media from Make-A-Wish this past October. The award recognizes individuals and media organizations for their extraordinary efforts to extend Make-A-Wish stories to the public.
Rutherford has worked with the organization since 2017, spearheading marketing efforts that have led to more than $85 million in earned media value for Make-A-Wish, helping to spread the word about the life-changing impact a wish can have on children with critical illnesses, their families and their communities.
“Creating campaigns that raise awareness and drive donations for Make-A-Wish has become a personal passion project, allowing me to make the world a better place through kindness and creativity,” said Rutherford. “I am thrilled that Team One is committed to deepening this relationship and finding creative ways to amplify the Make-A-Wish vision to grant the wish of every eligible child.”
Team One’s appointment coincides with preparations for the 40th Anniversary of Make-A-Wish, which will be commemorated with a campaign leading up to and continuing after World Wish Day® on April 29, 2020 — the annual day of recognition for the wish that inspired the creation of Make-A-Wish and its mission. Major brands and notable celebrities like John Cena, Michael Jordan and Gordon Ramsay have been integral parts of wish fulfillment in years’ past. For this initial project, the agency has been charged with creating an evergreen movement for the organization.
“We look forward to partnering with Make-A-Wish on the kind of bold, brave ideas that will elevate and promote their truly important work,” said Chris Graves, Chief Creative Officer, Team One. “Research tells us that children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illnesses. We’re honored to support this mission through our creative work.”
“We are delighted to further our relationship with Kirsten and excited to collaborate with Team One as we enter this next chapter for our organization,” said Janell Holas, Vice President of Brand and Marketing for Make-A-Wish America. “We are fortunate to have found an agency that truly understands the power, impact and ethos of our mission, and we feel Team One is the perfect partner to help us translate brand awareness into donations which bring us closer to granting the wish of every eligible child.”
ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH
Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We seek to bring every eligible child's wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child's treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illness. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the world’s leading children’s wish-granting organization, serving children in every community in the United States and in more than 50 countries worldwide. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and nearly 40,000 volunteers across the U.S., grant a wish every 34 minutes, on average, somewhere in the country. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 315,000 wishes to children in the U.S. and its territories; more than 15,600 in 2018 alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish America, visit wish.org.
About Douglas Kiker Award for Excellence in Media
The award is given by Make-A-Wish America to individuals and organizations in today’s news, information and entertainment media who lend extraordinary efforts to extend the Make-A-Wish story to the public in ways that help us grant more and better wishes. In 1982, just two years after Make-A-Wish was founded, Kiker produced a national television segment about this new charity in Phoenix doing something different for children with critical illnesses. His piece caused a national sensation, and was largely responsible for the explosive growth of Make-A-Wish into the international phenomenon it is today. It inspired the creation of the first generation of Make-A-Wish chapters across the nation.
ABOUT TEAM ONE
Team One is Publicis Groupe's fully integrated media, digital and communications agency dedicated to helping premium brands thrive in the modern media landscape. Team One has five North American offices, including its Los Angeles headquarters, Dallas, New York, Chicago and Atlanta. Team One clients include Lexus, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, HSBC Premier, Expedia, Jacuzzi Brands, St. Regis Hotels and Resorts, Cathay Pacific, VISA, Make-A-Wish, It Gets Better Project, Warner Brothers Interactive, and W Hotels. Visit TeamOne-USA.com.
Christine Perez
DiGennaro Communications
christine@digennaro-usa.com
212 966 9525