Pool Safety Council

POOL SAFETY COUNCIL: Saving Lives One Drain At a Time

Drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental death for children ages one to 14. To combat this problem, in 2007 the federal government passed legislation requiring public pools and spas to install safety equipment that protects against drain entrapment.

In light of the new legislation, GA was retained to run the Pool Safety Council (PSC). The PSC led a national communications effort to raise awareness of the new legislation, encourage its enforcement, and promote the installation of compliant safety equipment that would protect swimmers from entrapment.

The campaign was an enormous success. The PSC secured 40 million TV impressions between Memorial Day and Labor Day, including segments on “The Today Show,” “Nightly News with Brian Williams,” and “The Early Show” about the new legislation and the dangers of entrapment. Local network affiliates ran similar segments in 15 states across the country. In print, the PSC placed stories in the Wall Street Journal, Miami Herald, Orange County Register and dozens more.

GA received numerous accolades for its work with the PSC, including Honorable Mention for Public Affairs Campaign of the Year from PR Week and the bronze Mercury Award for Outstanding Achievement in Corporate Communications.

RESULTS

• Campaign Length: 4 mos.

• Total TV Media Impressions: 40M

• Twitter Followers: >500

• Network affiliate stories seen by 7.3 million viewers in 15 states in one week

• PSC-Consumer Product Safety Commission collaboration on modified guidelines regarding so-called unblockable drains

• Stories in the Wall Street Journal, Miami Herald, Orange County Register and dozens of others

• Honorable Mention for Public Affairs Campaign of the Year at the PR Week Awards

• Bronze Mercury Award for Outstanding Achievement in Corporate Communications