Odwalla, Coca-Cola, DirecTV, DASANI, Sports Authority, General Mills, GEICO and
Other Brands Support State Park Guides and Environmental Cause Marketing
Programs Developed by Government Solutions Group
PASADENA, Calif.–(Business Wire)–
Environmentally conscious companies will again help bolster cash-strapped state
park budgets so Americans can continue to enjoy one of their favorite places to
recreate – state parks. Advertisers that participate in the 20% For Parks
(www.20forparks.com) program engage with active-lifestyle consumers who are
committed to the environment. The program consists of a sponsored visitor guide
called the Park Visitor Welcome Kit and an opportunity to develop a
brand-specific environmental program in state parks.
Starting in early June, more than six million Park Visitor Welcome Kits will be
distributed, making it one of the largest outdoor recreational publications.
State parks receive a 20 percent cut of the Park Visitor Welcome Kits` profits,
and the Kits are an important visitor communication resource to under-funded
state park agencies.
Close to a dozen corporations sponsor the visitor guides. Large commitments from
Odwalla, DASANI, Coca-Cola and DirecTV take it one step further with corporate
environmental programs to raise resources for parks, including:
* Odwalla`s 2010 Plant a Tree Program grows beyond the previous two years with a
$200,000 donation to plant trees in all 50 state parks. The program runs from
May 25 through August 15, 2010, during which time consumers can visit
www.odwalla.com/plantatree to select which state receives trees.
* The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Southern California teamed up with Stater
Bros. Markets with the goal to raise $600,000 for beach clean up, recycling and
dune restoration at Southern California state park beaches this summer through
its Care For Our Coast campaign. www.careforourcoast.com.
* DirecTV will donate $50 to state parks each time a new customer signs up for
service between May 31, 2010, and March 31, 2011. www.parkvisitor.com/dtv
* DASANI contributed $70,000 for recycling efforts in five western states,
through retail programs and an online consumer challenge to share environmental
tips. http://dasani.com/30ways/
* Collective Wellbeing will donate $1 to state parks for every $20 of product
purchased online through January 15, 2011.
* In Massachusetts, Cascadian Farm and LÄRABAR support the Heart Healthy Trails
initiative with a donation of $20,000 to restore trails. The company also will
provide 700,000 healthy snacks to park visitors and support events on National
Trails Day, June 5, 2010, at state parks in the Bay state.
Corporate Commitments Increasing
Previous years show that programs that support State park initiatives really
resonate with the park visitor consumer. The overwhelming response to Odwalla`s
Plant-a-Tree program was the catalyst for tripling the size of the program with
Government Solutions Group (GSG) since its inception in 2008. The Coca-Cola
Bottling Company of Southern California built on the success of its 2009
Reforest California campaign that raised more than $600,000 to plant one million
trees in wildfire scarred state parks in Southern California and, this year,
kicked-off Care For Our Coast to support state beaches, which is on track to
raise similar funds.
“State parks are essentially America`s back yard and that represents a vast
audience,” says Shari Boyer, CEO of Government Solutions Group (GSG), the agency
behind the programs that match private businesses with state parks nationwide.
“With state park budgets in such upheaval, consumers like to see companies that
step in to support our natural resources, and make their buying decisions based
on that.”
Overall, 20% For Parks raised more than $5 million for state parks in the last
five years and 2010 programs are expected to raise another $1 million.
The Park Visitor Welcome Kit has hand-to-hand distribution to park visitors by
park rangers at the entrance gate. The Kit, which features content from
published authors, professional cartographers, journalists, wellness experts and
photo tips from National Geographic Traveler is a high-quality print piece that
consumers keep long after they`ve left the park. It is printed on recycled,
Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper.
About GSG
Government Solutions Group (GSG) is one of the country`s leading marketing
companies targeting the active lifestyle, environmentally conscious consumer.
Through its exclusive consumer touchpoints, GSG reaches over 730 million active
lifestyle State park visits each year, more than any other marketing opportunity
in the U.S. The company facilitates marketing partnerships between state parks
and corporate America with clients that include: Odwalla, Coca-Cola, Dasani,
General Mills, Nestlé, Subaru, GEICO, Sport`s Authority and others. The company
is based in Pasadena, California.
Editor`s Note:High-res photos available upon request
Meg Aldrich Public Relations
Meg Aldrich
626-825-0309
meg@megaldrich.com
Copyright Business Wire 2010
A docudrama plays a story of women cricketers’ struggle and triumph
Kolkata, Sep 9 (ANI): A docudrama titled ‘Indian Women’s Cricket team Poor Cousins of Million Dollar Babies’ highlights the disparity between men and women cricket players in India.
As the title suggests, the docudrama shows how while men cricketers hog all the limelight and bask in the glory of success and money, women cricketers are way behind their male counterparts though they have been able to carve a name for themselves in the international sport arena.
The 25-minute audio-visual commentary narrates a story of the triumph of women’s cricket despite the disparities and differential treatment.
Former Indian Skipper Anjum Chopra said the docudrama has been able to mirror the women cricketers’ struggle, hard work and determination to reach the milestone they have achieved despite receiving far less attention of sports authority, sponsorship and media coverage as compared with their male counterparts.
“I really liked it. I think it’s very nice. It covers a lot of angels into the lives of women cricketers on and off the field. It’s a true depiction of the lives and struggles of Indian women cricketers go through,” Anjum Chopra added.
The The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI ) spends millions of rupees on men’s cricket and its stalwart players but women’s team, which has consistently done well in the context of world tournaments, has not received the same attention and promotion.
Sunil Yash Kalra, who has directed the documentary, said it’s time to tell the story of players engaged in the most popular and fast growing game in India despite their gender.
“It’s a sport which is a nerve centre of India, the subcontinent. And, it’s also included in the Asian Games next year. So, basically if you were to look at it… A, it’s the fastest growing game. B, there is a story that needs to be told about each individual member, that’s what the idea is to showcase the best to the rest of the world,” Kalra added.
The film also reveals interesting facts about women’s cricket in India. For example, women’s cricket in India can be traced back to early 20th century when an Australian school teacher Anne Kelleve made cricket a compulsory game at the Baker Memorial School in Kottayam, Kerala, in 1913.
The Women’s World Cup was initiated in 1973, two years before the men’s World Cup. And, Indian eves played T20 international cricket in 2006 while Indian men played their first match in 2007. (ANI)