Gannett, the Smile Train Distribute Oscar-Winning Movie to One Million Households This Sunday
McLEAN, VA – Gannett (NYSE:GCI) has partnered with The Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft charity, to distribute free DVD copies of Smile Train’s, Oscar-winning documentary, “Smile Pinki,” to one million subscribers of Gannett-owned newspapers.
The DVDs will be distributed Sunday, Nov. 15 in four-color newspaper polybags that feature advertising encouraging people to watch the movie. The campaign got its start in September with full-page and quarter-page ads highlighting the non-profit’s efforts in local Gannett newspapers, USA TODAY and USA WEEKEND.
The Academy Award-winning film, called “Smile Pinki,” won the Oscar in February for Best Short Documentary and follows Pinki, a young girl in rural India whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. The Smile Train’s mission is to help very poor children in developing countries who are suffering with unrepaired clefts.
“No other media organization could pull this off. We chose Gannett because of the breadth and depth of its reach,” said Brian Mullaney, Smile Train Co-Founder and President.
“The Smile Train focuses on helping children achieve their dreams. Through Gannett’s vast network of local newspapers, we are pleased to help The Smile Train raise support for these children,” said Bob Dickey, president of Gannett U.S. Community Publishing.
This is the second Gannett cross-divisional marketing solution initiative created to help clients better reach mass audiences through one-stop creative campaigns. In October, Gannett launched a major company-wide awareness campaign for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is an international news and information company operating on multiple platforms including the Internet, mobile, newspapers, magazines and TV stations. Gannett is an Internet leader with hundreds of newspaper and TV Web sites; CareerBuilder.com, the nation’s top employment site; USATODAY.com; and more than 80 local MomsLikeMe.com sites. Gannett publishes 84 daily U.S. newspapers, including USA TODAY, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper, and more than 700 magazines and other non-dailies including USA WEEKEND. Gannett also operates 23 television stations in 19 U.S. markets. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom’s second largest regional newspaper company with 17 daily paid-for titles, more than 200 weekly newspapers, magazines and trade publications, and a network of Web sites.
The Smile Train is the world’s leading cleft charity with thousands of partners and programs in 76 of the world’s poorest countries. Its mission is to help the more than 4.7 million children in developing countries who are suffering with unrepaired clefts. For as little as $250 and in as little as 45 minutes, The Smile Train can provide cleft surgery that gives a child not just a new smile, but a new life. Since its beginning in 2000, The Smile Train has provided more than 550,000 free surgeries for children who would otherwise never have received it. For more information, please visit www.smiletrain.org.
For media inquiries, contact:
Robin Pence
Vice President of Corporate Communications
703-854-6049
rpence@gannett.com