February 21, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
United Way of America has a familiar pitchman asking cellphone users to support the organization’s youth-fitness programs.
In a television ad that first aired during the Super Bowl, Tom Brady, the quarterback of the New England Patriots, invites viewers to send a text message to make an instant $5 donation, which will be charged to their phone bill.
Donors can make a gift by text messaging the word “fit” to the number “864833″ — which spells out “United” on the keypad. For every text-message donation received, $4.50 will support United Way programs that aim to reduce childhood obesity by showing families how to eat more nutritiously and incorporate more physical activity into their daily lives.
The cellphone campaign is the first of its kind for United Way.
“We’re really attempting to reach a new demographic,” says Tracey Holmes, who oversees the organization’s partnership with the National Football League. “We’ve seen blog comments already, that it’s about time for a charity to do this.”
So far, the television ad has been viewed on YouTube nearly 20,000 times, and the campaign has spurred 2,010 donations and produced $9,045 for United Way.
For more information: Go to http://www.unitedway.org.
