Spike TV Celebrates Fatherhood with 'True Dads' National Outreach Campaign
New York Yankee Legend Don Mattingly Named Spokesperson For Campaign's
"Catch On" Promotion That Kicks-Off Father's Day
Overall Campaign Includes PSAs, Specials, Online Resources And Community
Events
NEW YORK, June 13 -- Just in time for Father's Day, Spike
TV celebrates dads with TRUE DADS, the network's new national outreach
campaign designed to celebrate the unique and transformative relationship
that is fatherhood. The network also announces that New York Yankee legend
and current coach Don Mattingly has been named spokesperson for Spike TV's
TRUE DADS first campaign promotion entitled "Catch On."
In the 21st century, it is critical that all kinds of fathers -
traditional fathers, stepfathers, non-custodial fathers, and father-mentors
- are provided with the encouragement and resources they need to positively
influence tomorrow's generation.
Spike TV's TRUE DADS initiative celebrates and highlights fathers who
take an active role in their children's lives, demonstrating that it is
both a rewarding and fulfilling experience. The initiative is designed to
encourage responsible fathering and provide the tools and resources to
fathers to improve their parenting skills, such as how to talk with their
kids, how to balance work & family and ideas of activities to spend more
time with their children.
Spike TV will support TRUE DADS with a mutli-platform campaign that
includes PSAs featuring both celebrity and everyday dads, original
television programming, local community outreach events including events
with several Minor League Baseball teams, an enhanced digital media site
located at spiketruedads.com, national promotions/sweepstakes and strategic
partnerships with National Fatherhood Initiative, ParentsConnect.com and
GoCityKids.com, among others.
On Father's Day, Sunday, June 17, Spike TV will kick-off TRUE DADS with
its first national promotion with "Catch On" featuring New York Yankee
legend Don Mattingly who will appear in a PSA. "Catch On" encourages dads
to go out and have a catch -- baseball, football, Frisbee, etc. - with
their son or daughter. Dads are then directed to visit spiketruedads.com
and send in a picture showing off their special time with their kids and
enter for a chance to win a pair of season tickets for their favorite
sports team. Spike TV's TRUE DADS "Catch On" promotion will run thru Labor
Day 2007.
Spike TV's TRUE DADS "Catch-On" spokesman Don Mattingly spent his
entire 12-year career with the New York Yankees. "Donnie Baseball" was a
six-time all star and nine-time Gold Glove first baseman. In his second
full season in 1984, he won the American League batting title (.343) and in
1985 he won the AL MVP award with an MLB leading 145 RBIs. In 1987,
Mattingly set an MLB record by hitting a home run in eight consecutive
games and solidified himself as a fan-favorite with his no-nonsense
attitude and team-oriented demeanor. He was named Team Captain in 1991,
joining only 10 others including baseball immortals Babe Ruth and Lou
Gehrig, and hit .417 in his only post-season appearance in 1995.
Following his retirement in 1996, Mattingly returned to Evansville, IN
to help his wife, Kim, raise their three sons, Taylor, Preston, and Jordan.
The Mattingly baseball genes are quite apparent as Preston (19) is a top
prospect in the LA Dodgers organization while Taylor (22) briefly played in
the Yankees minor league system. Mattingly currently serves as a bench
coach under Yankee manager Joe Torre.
Additionally, in honor of Father's Day Spike TV's TRUE DADS campaign
will make a $10,000 contribution to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York
City, a not-for-profit organization which identifies organizations across
the five boroughs of New York City that work with families in order to help
children by increasing positive father involvement from dads who are
married, divorced or single. Further donations to family/parenting
organizations that target fathers across the country to be announced
throughout the year.
All dads are encouraged to log onto spiketruedads.com to learn more
about Spike TV's TRUE DADS campaign including stories about real dads,
access to local events and activities for dads to take action close to home
and for helpful tips for dads to spend quality time with their kids.
The premier fatherhood renewal organization in the country, National
Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) works in every sector and at every level of
society to engage fathers in the lives of their children. NFI's national
public service advertising campaign promoting fatherhood has generated
television, radio, print, Internet, and outdoor advertising valued at over
$487 million. Through its resource center, FatherSOURCE, NFI offers a wide
range of innovative resources to assist fathers and organizations
interested in reaching and supporting fathers.
Spike TV is available in 91.6 million homes and is a division of MTV
Networks. A unit of VIACOM (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the
world's leading creators of programming and content across all media
platforms.
SOURCE Spike TV
http://www.spiketv.com
http://www.spiketruedads.com
http://www.ParentsConnect.com
http://www.GoCityKids.com
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