American Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter Selects Grizzard as Agency of Record

Business Wire, Oct 13, 2008

Grizzard to Manage Direct Response Initiatives for Leading Humanitarian Organization in Pennsylvania

ATLANTA -- Grizzard Communications Group, an industry leader in integrated, direct response marketing and fundraising, today announced it has been appointed as agency of record by the American Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter. Grizzard will be steering fully integrated projects for the organization that include online, direct mail and telemarketing initiatives.

A nongovernment affiliated agency, the American Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

The partnership with Grizzard Communications Group signifies a shift in focus of the organization's direct marketing strategies. Major donors will now be spotlighted in direct mail campaigns, as a show of gratitude for their continued support and as a means to build an additional donor base. Previously, the chapter engaged in campaigns that were targeted to its broad base of donors that had given in the past 36 months.

"We are thrilled and excited to start working with Grizzard to begin fine-tuning our direct marketing campaign," says Tom Wiese, financial development officer, Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania. "Grizzard really listens to our needs and will help us to accomplish long-term goals in order to serve the Southwestern Pennsylvania community at the maximum potential." Wiese went on to say that Grizzard's projects and initiatives will give the Red Cross more control of its segmentation and donor cultivation.

"Grizzard has a proven track record of maximizing an organization's fundraising efforts and achieving goals by cultivating donor relations and creating new ones," states Pat D'Alba, Grizzard's senior vice president. "This relationship is particularly important to us, because we are confident our campaigns for this organization are ambitious and effective. Learnings from this program will benefit our work moving forward with other American Red Cross chapters across the country."

About the American Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter

The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter serves more than 1.6 million individuals in Allegheny, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties. Locally, each year the Red Cross provides relief to the victims of more than 300 disasters each year, helps 588 families by facilitating more than 2,600 emergency messages between our deployed men and women in uniform and their loved ones here at home, and trains almost 50,000 individuals in lifesaving skills.

About Grizzard

The 89-year-old Grizzard Communications Group is one of the top 10 direct response firms in the United States specializing in integrated fundraising initiatives including direct mail, online integration and alternative media.

Through offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles and several other major U.S. cities, Grizzard Communications Group serves nonprofits across America. Clients include AARP Foundation, The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Rescue Missions, Food Banks, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, State Sheriffs' Associations, Habitat for Humanity affiliates, Prostate Cancer Foundation, National Urban League and various Animal Welfare and Humane Societies. More information can be found at www.grizzard.com.

Grizzard Communications Group is part of Omnicom Group, Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com). Omnicom is a leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.