Out-of-home industry launches $100k campaign in support of National Missing Persons Week

The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) has launched a $100,000 Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising campaign in support of National Missing Persons Week (NMPW). The campaign will aim to raise awareness of the issues and impacts associated with missing people and runs from 29 July to 4 August.

This year’s theme focuses on the prevention of youth going missing. The tagline ‘Take the time to let someone know’ will be broadcast across bus shelters, billboards and taxi backs. The advertising campaign will focus on helping to find Elisha (Sam) Karmas, who was last seen in Punchbowl NSW, on 11 August 2011.

Says Charmaine Moldrich, OMA CEO: “The OMA is proud to be involved with the NMPW and committed to contributing to the community through important campaigns such as this one.”

“We know that 90% of the population travel each day, amounting to 20 million people who are exposed to one or more OOH formats everyday. Our hope is that people will see the campaign and come forward with any information needed to find Sam.

Each year 35,000 people are reported missing in Australia – one person every 15 minutes. While 95 per cent of missing persons are found within a short period of time, the lasting impact, particularly on families, is devastating. The reasons why a person goes missing are many and varied and can include abduction, murder, domestic violence, misadventure, miscommunication, mental illness and dementia related illnesses.

Says Peter Barrie, assistant commissioner: “We’re thrilled to have the OMA on board again for this year’s NMPW. Their continual support for the campaign over the past few years is truly commendable, and we’re very grateful to have OOH as our chosen medium to raise awareness of the importance of coming forward with information on missing persons. This year we want to find Elisha (Sam) Karmas, and we’re confident that OOH will be of great assistance.”

The OMA and its members are long-standing supporters of NMPW, having provided pro-bono OOH advertising space to the NSW Police Force for the past three years. The campaign aligns with the OMA’s continued commitment to contributing to the community by supporting issues that are important to it.

NMPW is one of two joint industry advertising campaigns run by the OMA on behalf of its members. In addition to these, each member organisation contributes free-of-charge advertising to arts, sports and charities, taking the industry’s annual contribution to $15 million OMA members who donated space this year. Missing Persons Week campaign include APN Outdoor, EYECORP, oOh!media, ROVA Media, Adshel and JCDecaux. Printing services were provided by Cactus Imaging.