SITUATION
As computer and video games exploded in popularity during the 1990s, so did debate about their role in American society and culture. This debate intensified following the 1999 Columbine massacre and other school shootings, which some critics attempted to link to violent entertainment products, including video games. Amid this national controversy, the interactive entertainment software industry sought GMMB's help to publicize its efforts to help parents choose the games that are right for their families.

A poll commissioned by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) - the trade association for the computer and video game industry - found that parents overwhelmingly opposed government regulation of computer and video game content. Seventy-five percent of those surveyed agreed that parents bear the primary responsibility for monitoring the games their children play, not government, retailers, or the industry. Parents also said that a rating system would help them to exercise control over the games their children play. However, most parents did not know that such a rating system - the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) - already existed.

In the summer of 1999, the ESRB and IDSA hired GMMB to create and execute a public education campaign to increase public awareness and use of the rating system. By educating the public about the ratings, IDSA/ESRB sought to demonstrate the industry's sincere commitment to helping parents choose the games that are appropriate for their families.

APPROACH
Based on survey and focus groups results indicating that parents wanted to exercise greater control over the games their families played but lacked the information needed make informed decisions, GMMB developed a simple but memorable message for the ESRB campaign: When you check the rating, the control is in your hands.

The multi-faceted campaign included the following elements:

• Television Public Service Announcements featuring famous athletes and celebrities encouraging parents to "check the rating." ESRB's first PSA featured golfer Tiger Woods in a take-off on the popular Nike ad, in which Woods performed amazing tricks bouncing a golf ball on a golf club. In the PSA, Woods tried to duplicate those tricks using a tennis ball and racquet-only to fail miserably and humorously. Subsequent PSAs placed New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Host Regis Philbin in similar predicaments, all as the result of playing the "wrong game" for them. In these lighthearted PSAs, ESRB's celebrity spokespeople reminded parents to "check the rating" to avoid a similar fate. ESRB PSAs are broadcast nationally on several networks and also air on the in-store television stations of major retailers, including Wal-Mart and Blockbuster. GMMB also created a paid print advertising campaign to leverage the PSA's national reach.
  
  
• Holiday media outreach to remind shoppers to "check the rating" when purchasing gifts during the holiday season - the time of year when most computer and video games are sold. GMMB used a variety of strategies to publicize the ESRB's message, including major press conferences, video and audio news releases (VNRs and ANRs), satellite media tours (SMTs) and the placement of news stories and op-eds.
  
  
• Outreach to major retailers to secure their participation in the public education campaign. GMMB helped secure agreements with Target, Hollywood Video, Wal-Mart, Babbages, Funcoland, Blockbuster, Electronics Boutique, and other retailers to distribute and display educational brochures and posters, and/or to air ESRB PSAs.

RESULTS
A recent public opinion poll conducted by Peter D. Hart Research confirmed the effectiveness of the ESRB ratings awareness campaign. Since the program began in 1999:

• Parental awareness of the ESRB rating system increased 21 points, while awareness of the other three entertainment industry rating systems (films, television, and music) increased only 2-4 percent.
  
  
• The percentage of parents describing the ESRB system as "helpful" increased 11 points, surpassing the percentage of parents who currently describe the television industry rating system as helpful.
  
  
• Fifty-three percent of parents say they check the rating "every time" or "most of the time" when buying or renting a computer or video game, up 10 percentage points from 1999.

ESRB's rating awareness campaign also reached opinion leaders with direct oversight of the computer and video game industry. Senator Joseph Lieberman, a frequent critic of the entertainment industry, described the ESRB ratings as "the most comprehensive system of any entertainment medium in the country." Also, the Federal Trade Commission's regular reports on the entertainment industry's marketing practices have commented favorably on the ESRB's outreach program.