Outdoor Media Association (OMA) is teaming up with the Australian Federal Police to extend the 2015 National Missing Persons Week (NMPW) campaign to outdoor advertising across the country. The OMA’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Federal Police means the annual NMPW campaign, which runs from August 2 – 8, will raise awareness about the issues and impacts associated with missing persons’ cases, and to profile long-term missing persons.
Charmaine Moldrich, CEO of OMA, says the outdoor industry has been supporting this cause for the last six years in NSW, and now it is going national. Moldrich says, “The outdoor industry is now in its seventh year of supporting this vital campaign in NSW and expanding our promotion of this national campaign across Australia, in partnership with the AFP, is a natural progression. “Our audiences keep growing and our digital reach is increasing – using this unique position to broadcast critical information that could bring solace to people in need is important to us.” The partnership will see OMA members across Australia donate advertising space and production costs to provide national coverage of the campaign on both static and digital inventory, including billboards, taxi backs, bus shelters and the like.
Shane Connelly, AFP national manager of crime operations, says the newly formed partnership in support of NMPW, along with other crime-related prevention campaigns, will benefit the Australian community through increased avenues of awareness. Connelly says, “The partnership provides a level of exposure we wouldn’t be able to pursue without the support of OMA, not only in support of our campaign, but most importantly in support of the state and territory police who work tirelessly to solve missing persons’ cases every day. “We are appreciative of OMA’s, and its member organisations’, support. There is no doubt we’ll reach more people through this outdoor advertising, which will mean more chances of someone recognising and providing information about a missing person to police.” OMA got its inspiration from its sister organisation in the USA, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), which runs the National Digital Billboard Initiative through its Amber Alerts, to provide the public with information about fugitives, missing persons, and public safety issues.
Nancy Fletcher, CEO of the OAAA, says: “Since 2008, more than 1000 Amber Alerts have been transmitted to digital billboards in the US via the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children. Fletcher says, “In the US, the Amber Alert system started in 1996 as a broadcast system, in response to the abduction of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman in Texas. Since then, this alert system has expanded to other media – including out-of-home – to connect with a mobile society on the go. “Likewise, law enforcement in the US – including the FBI – relies on OOH formats to enlist the public’s help in finding fugitives, stolen property, and victims of crime.” While OMA admits Australia is far off establishing this form of network of signage, it says the US is a ‘great example of what can be achieved’.
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