The March of Dimes is spreading its message that “Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait,” by tapping into a trend by parents to create a digital keepsake of their pregnancy to share with loved ones.
The March of Dimes created a new television public awareness campaign, using footage from a London couple who posted a video online as a way to share their pregnancy experience with their family and friends. The March of Dimes found the video with the help of the non-profit’s cause marketing agency, Crossroads, based in Kansas City, Missouri. Created by Tim Warwood and Lucy Ball, the original video chronicles Lucy’s pregnancy with video clips and pictures. The couple ended the video with the introduction of their baby girl, Liliah, who was born full-term and healthy in October 2009.
“This video is authentic and real and women relate to it because they’re probably creating something similar to share their pregnancy story with family and friends,” said Douglas A. Staples, senior vice president of strategic marketing and communications for the March of Dimes. “We’re tapping into that connection to share our important health message that healthy babies are worth the wait, and if your pregnancy is healthy, you should wait for labor to begin on its own rather than scheduling an induction or cesarean delivery.”
Worldwide, 15 million babies are born too soon each year and more than one million of those infants die as a result of their early births. Babies who survive an early birth often face the risk of lifelong health challenges, such as breathing problems, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities and others. Even babies born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than full-term infants.
The video is an expansion of the March of Dimes “Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait” campaign which educates women and health care providers about the importance of a full term pregnancy because critical development of the brain, lungs and other organs occur during the last weeks of pregnancy. Additional information is available at marchofdimes.org/39weeks.
In addition to the televised video, the campaign includes online and print advertising, as well as patient education materials. The March of Dimes partnered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in a new federal program called Strong Start to co-brand the awareness materials and distribute them more widely. Also, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers is challenging its members to reduce premature birth rates by 8 percent by 2014 and encouraging them to run the new spot; 45 and the District of Columbia states, have accepted this challenge.