Mercy Ships Campaign Hits Times Square
Posted/updated on: March 15, 2011 at 3:26 pm
GARDEN VALLEY – Mercy Ships, an international charity operating the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship, is debuting promotional spots on the CBS “Super Screen” in Times Square. Smith County-based Mercy Ships will have 30 seconds of air time each hour from March 14 through April 30. The Super Screen is located on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. It is 26 feet wide and 20 feet tall. During the 6 weeks of airtime, the promotional spots will range from three 10-second spots to two 15-second spots to one 30-second spot.
The airing of the promotional spots coincides with the arrival of the Africa Mercy to Sierra Leone, one of the poorest nations in the world, for the Mercy Ships 2011 Field Service. Mercy Ships officials say this advertising opportunity in Times Square — combined with a complementary marketing campaign in web, print, and local events — will allow Mercy Ships to increase awareness of its organization in the United States.
“We are very pleased to have a presence in such a recognizable and high-traffic area,” says Mercy Ships Founder Don Stephens. “Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to bring state-of-the-art medical services to developing countries—we simply need to expand awareness of the needs in West Africa so more people can be helped. Times Square is a great platform to achieve that!”
According to press materials, Mercy Ships follows the 2000-year-old model of Jesus by bringing hope and healing to the forgotten poor. Mercy Ships officials say their state-of-the-art hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, is equipped with six operating theaters, a 78-bed ward, a lab, a pharmacy and a CAT scanner. The officials say their crew of 450 volunteers transforms lives by delivering world-class health care to developing nations in West Africa. Program offerings for the 2011 Field Service in Sierra Leone include reconstructive surgeries such as cleft lip and palate correction, orthopedics, plastics, and tumor removal. An eye care team offers corrective cataract procedures, and an off-ship dental clinic provides dental care.
Officials say Mercy Ships is also committed to building capacity by training local medical personnel. In this way, medical care is available to the people of Sierra Leone even after the ship leaves port. Mercy Ships provides all services free of charge and without regard to race, gender, or religion. You can visit http://www.mercyships.org to learn more about Mercy Ships.
