White House Announces Partnership with Ad Council, Major Media Networks, and Digital Platforms for COVID-19 Messages

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 18, 2020  White House Announces Partnership with Ad Council, Major Media Networks, and Digital Platforms for COVID-19 Messages President Donald J. Trump today announced a major partnership with the Ad Council, major media networks, and digital platforms to effectively communicate accurate and timely information directly to the American people. This partnership is another important component of the all-of-America response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and will benefit high-risk populations and the general public with public service announcements (PSAs) around social distancing, personal hygiene, and mental health.   As a result of this announcement, the following products are created as a result of this partnership: First Lady of the United States Melania Trump, Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx, and other Administration officials will appear in national broadcast PSAs that communicate the most important ways Americans can protect themselves and those most at risk;  NBCUniversal will create a series of videos and graphics, available in both English and Spanish, to inform high-risk populations about the steps they can take to protect themselves and to inform the public how to help stop of the spread of coronavirus; ViacomCBS is leveraging its portfolio of brands to deliver multi-channel, multi-platform PSA campaigns that educate audiences around public health imperatives related to COVID-19.  In partnership with the Ad Council, ViacomCBS’ Entertainment & Youth Brands led by MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, CMT, and VH1, launched #AloneTogether, a national social and talent-led campaign that educates audiences on the importance of social distancing and drives unity through entertainment.  Available in English and Spanish, the campaign will also be tailored and supported by Nickelodeon, BET, CBS and CBS All-Access, Awesomeness, Pluto TV, and Showtime.  CBS is rolling out a “We’re In This Together” campaign that will include essential public health messages.  Nickelodeon is also developing PSA content on appropriate topics for kids, such as hand washing, and sharing educational library content for children who are home from school; iHeartMedia will support messaging around social distancing and high-risk populations, among other important COVID-19-related topics, across their network of stations; and ABC/Walt Disney Television will promote priority messaging for parents and families for distribution across their channels and platforms. The PSAs direct audiences to visit coronavirus.gov, a centralized resource that includes up-to-date information on the crisis. All PSAs and content will air and run during air time and space that will be donated by the media and coordinated through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services. For media assets, visit coronavirus.adcouncilkit.org