FCIC launches PSAs to promote USA.gov portal

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The Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) has launched a new PSA campaign to raise consumer awareness about the abundance of information that is easily available at the recently renamed USA.gov Web site (formerly FirstGov.gov). The campaign includes TV spots, print ads and a radio spot developed by Campbell-Ewald that tout how easy it is to find government information on countless topics of interest.


Television spots called "Ask the Government," which vary in lengths from :10 to :60 seconds, feature humorous situations of everyday consumers approaching random government employees – who may not necessarily be the best source for the information they're seeking. In one execution, a family in a station wagon approaches a park ranger in a forest to ask how to apply for student loans for their children. In another, a newlywed couple knocks on the window of a space shuttle to ask the astronauts inside how to change a name on a driver's license. "Need federal, state or local government information?" the announcer asks. "Go to the official source: USA.gov." The spots direct consumers to the USA.gov Web site or the telephone hotline at 1 (800) FED-INFO (1-800-333-4636).

In addition to television, the campaign consists of a sixty-second radio spot that takes the form of a quiz show where government employees – a park ranger, a judge and an astronaut – struggle to answer the question, "Where do you find a government auction?" Print includes magazine and newspaper. In one, an image of a pet rock with the caption "Pets Made Easy" is juxtaposed with a picture of a laptop with the caption "Government Made Easy." The premise is applied to a second ad called "Commuting Made Easy" that features a man wearing a jet pack next to the "Government Made Easy" laptop.

In addition to the general market campaign, FCIC is launching its first Spanish-language campaign to drive traffic to the Spanish version of the site located at GobiernoUSA.gov.