Serve Marketing has done an amazing job developing the look and messaging for all media-driven teen pregnancy prevention campaigns since 2006.
September 2017
This campaign celebrates the real stars of our community’s drastic decline in teen births: young people. Consisting of bus shelters, social media, and radio and TV commercials, the campaign highlights two positive decisions teens have been making which have driven these rates down: abstaining from sexual intercourse or correctly and consistently using contraception.
View artwork and watch videos.
October 2015
This campaign dramatizes how teen pregnancy can affect a whole family and asks parents to have awkward conversations with their teens now instead of dealing with the consequences later. The campaign features youthful parents in stereotypically “old timer” situations. Parents are directed to TalkToYourTeen.org to find resources for starting a productive discussion with their child.
View artwork and watch videos.
April 2015
Community partner Hallelujah Fashions displayed a prom dress entirely made of unwrapped condoms to address very taboo topics during prom season; sex and condom usage. The dress was welcomed with double takes and looks of confusion, but ultimately sparked conversation between teens and parents about healthy sexual practices if a teen chooses to be sexually active.
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January 2015
The ads depict teen parents as a hand puppet, a jack-in-the-box and pull toy all being controlled by a disproportionately sized baby. The campaign tells teens the truth about being a parent. Parenthood means putting baby’s needs before you own. The campaign warns them that if they are going to have unprotected sex as a teen, they better be willing to spend their days being controlled by their baby.
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May 2014
The campaign informs teens and young adults of the harsh consequences of statutory rape, amending that it is not okay for people over the age of 18 to prey on teenagers, that age does matter. Viewers are directed to ItsStillRape.com for more information.
Learn more about this campaign.
October 2013
The goal was to start a conversation between parents and youth about sex and the many myths surrounding teen pregnancy and reinforce the point with parents that the first line of defense against teen pregnancy is keeping kids informed about sex. The mostly digital and social media-based campaign featured an interactive YouTube quiz, website and social media promotion on Facebook and Twitter. Teens and their parents were encouraged to contribute to the discussion using the hashtag #SexMyths, share the videos and visit GetTheSexFacts.com.
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August 2013
The two ads built upon the success of the previous “Think Your Teen Life Won’t Change” campaign, but instead depicted a boy break dancing and a girl goaltender in action. Both teens are trying to enjoy their leisure time but struggle with a baby attached to them along with the message “Think your life won’t change with a baby?” The campaign shows how having a baby as teen can immediately change their entire life.
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May 2013
This ad was in response to data that showed the birthrate among Latina teens in Milwaukee lowering at a much slower rate than among African American teens. In fact, it’s estimated that 44% of Latinas will become pregnant at least once by age 20, while the number for teens overall is just over 30%. The bus shelter campaign was in Spanish and directed parents to download tips for talking to teen about sex at babycanwait.com.
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February 2013
Valentine’s Day is a day of love. On February 14, 2013 young men handed out over 1,000 valentines to teenage girls at bus stops adjacent to a half dozen inner city Milwaukee High Schools. On the outside of the heart-shaped cards were the words “Baby You’re the One.” The inside of the card revealed a wake-up call listing the trials and tribulations that young teen mothers often face when raising a child alone.
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February 2013
This campaign featured smooth talking young men on bus shelters around Milwaukee, all professing their love and devotion to their girlfriends, at least until a baby comes into the mix. The copy, placed over the faces of handsome young men, quickly morphs from telling teen girls, “they’re so fine,” or “they’re the one,” to explaining that they’re the ones who’ll be buying diapers and getting up in the middle of the night with the baby. The campaign also features a radio spot of a smooth talking, Barry White sounding man.
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October 2012
- The campaign showed teens crammed into high chairs, car seats and strollers with the headline “Your Baby’s Not a Baby Anymore.” The ads directed parents to talk to their kids about sex with assistance of BabyCanWait.com which offers a download of the Let’s Talk Toolkit. This toolkit helps parents open conversation with their children about sex and healthy relationships. Small post card versions of the ads were also distributed to local libraries, barbershops, and beauty salons.
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August 2012
The ads depict a high school basketball player and cheerleader in action, both with a baby attached to them along with the message “Think your life won’t change with a baby?” The campaign shows how having a baby as teen can change their entire life right now.
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June 2012
The head-turning bus shelter ads, featured teen girls with snakes and rats crawling all over them with the message; “What kind of man preys on underage girls?” The ad then directed parents to go to BabyCanWait.org where they could download a toolkit on how to talk to their teens about healthy relationships.
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March 2012
Prom-goers in Milwaukee got a big surprise at four local prom dress stores. While shopping for a dress for the big night, teens and their parents got a dose of reality in the form of pregnant mannequins. Tags on the pregnancy gowns carried a simple message. “A prom date is better without a due date.” The participating stores were located on Milwaukee’s near north and south sides.
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February 2012
Students in Milwaukee were surprised when they went to get snacks at two inner city high schools. While searching for candy and chips they found vending machines filled with diapers, infant formula, wipes and diaper rash cream, along with a card that read, “Welcome to the Wonderful World of Teen Pregnancy.” Word travelled quickly inside and out of Riverside and Ronald Reagan High Schools about the bogus machines.
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October 2011
Located in local newspapers, this ad reminded parents that there are many ways to start a conversation about sexual health with their children. It also directed parents to tips and resources on BabyCanWait.com to help them spark the dialogue with their teens.
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October 2011
Talking to teens about sex is not an easy thing to initiate, but this radio ad made it engaging and encouraged parents to think of different ways to talk to their teen. While the teens may not be immediately receptive, parents are often listed as the most trusted source for sexual health education by teens.
Listen to radio spot.
October 2011
The campaign pictured young girls in their bedrooms next to adult boyfriends with headlines that read, “She should be sleeping with a stuffed animal, not a real one” and “Don’t worry, he’ll be done with your daughter before you know it.” The ads were targeted at parents in an effort to encourage them to talk to their teens about sexuality and healthy relationships, before it’s too late.
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June 2011
The provocative campaign showed dreamlike illustrations of young princesses juxtaposed to hand drawn headlines that busted the myth that somehow relationships between young girls and adult man could have a fairytale ending.
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Fall 2010
The Get At You video campaign combined honest messages and social media to reach out to the young men of Milwaukee with positive advice. Milwaukee guys talked candidly about many topics ranging from; their fears of being a young father, thoughts about older men dating younger women, things they wish they had known growing up, what they would tell their young self about being a father, why it’s good to use a condom, and why you should respect women. The best videos were voted for online and the top three were featured on rotation on local TV stations.
Watch videos.
October 2010
Over 3,000 teens downloaded Maxxxy Mum’s music in the first three weeks of the release. Maxxy Mum, a fake new artist, promoted on local radio station V-100, offered free downloads of songs and ringtones. When teens downloaded the files they heard the sound of a screaming baby along with the message, “Not exactly music to your ears? Then you want to think twice before getting yourself or someone else pregnant as a teen.”
View artwork and listen to audio.
Fall 2010
Teens are forced to sacrifice a lot of things they enjoy or aspire to do once they have a child at a young age. The cut-out image of a pregnant belly placed over trophies and college advertisements forced kids to think about what they may be giving up once they become pregnant as a teen.
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January 2010
A movie promotion for the seemingly real, teen suspense thriller, called 2028 was nothing but a hoax to get teens to stop and hear a message warning them about the harsh realities of getting pregnant as a teen.
View artwork and watch trailer.
October 2009
Targeting teens where they spend most of their time is vital to getting the message across that teen pregnancy requires balancing every aspect of your new life. Posters were placed in various MPS schools and bus shelters. The ads visually illustrate what a teen goes through when having and raising a baby.
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October 2009
Fake birth announcements meant to shock parents into speaking to their teens about safe sex practices and pregnancy prevention were sent to over 10,000 households. The greeting cards were sent to help bring the message directly to parents who definitely don’t want to hear the words, “Were having a baby” come from their teen.
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Summer 2009
“Bleep” tells the story of an unnamed 24 year old man who sleeps with underage girls and has yet to be caught. After getting them pregnant and moving on the next one, listeners are given the chance to fill in the blanks of what he truly is.
Listen to radio spot.
Summer 2009
The message conveyed by young rapper, Daniel, is that teens are too young to do a lot of things, especially have babies. While Daniel definitely is not impressing anyone, the important message for teens is that having a baby won’t impress anyone either.
Listen to radio spot.
Summer 2009
With a play on words of the timeless “Your mom is so…” jokes, this radio spot starts off lighthearted, but ends with a very serious note that any man over the age of 18 sleeping with a younger girl is a criminal and it is statutory rape.
Listen to radio spot.
Summer 2009
This campaign used an age old tactic of hand drawn flyers with the words, “Missing” and “Lost” at the top. The flyers, similar to the kind you’d find for lost pets, then went on to say what’s really missing are the person’s friends and what’s lost is their sleep, all because they got pregnant as a teen.
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August 2009
Bus Shelter ads with giant pictures of dirty diapers and the words “Scratch and Sniff” were placed around the central city to warn teens of the burdens of teen pregnancy. Although the ads were not really scratch-and-sniff, upon closer inspection, teens found copy inside the dot that read, “This ad doesn’t really stink, but the consequences of teen pregnancy sure do.”
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April 2009
To combat statutory rape, a TV spot was created to show how creepy and unethical it is for grown men to hang out around high schools and prey on Milwaukee teen girls. It was targeted to men through highly targeted local TV stations.
Watch video.
April 2009
Statutory rape is an appalling and dirty little secret that often results in teen pregnancies and Milwaukeeans didn’t like to talk about. This campaign was meant to make men who prey on young girls uncomfortable in a public place, where they may be together. Each ad features a juxtaposition - an older man looking a young girl up and down as if she was a trophy.
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March 2009
The controversial ad featured an unrolled condom over a cell phone with the headline, “Please practice safe text.” The ad warned of the dangers of sending nude photos using cell phones and then went on to encourage teens to “think before they text.” The campaign attracted local and national media attention.
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January 2009
This powerful TV spot was placed on popular teen focused stations. The ad shows a young girl kissing various items that are important to her and most of her peers, including friends, sports, cash and driving. The TV spot shows that becoming a teen parent makes attaining and keeping those things much harder.
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October 2008
Sleeping in is almost universally loved by teens, but not so much for infants. The two ads, which were placed in bus shelters and inside schools, warned teens that there is no snooze button for a crying baby.
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October 2008
In this radio spot an infant is given a voice to express their true feelings and constant need for attention, things such as being fed and changed. The spot ends with encouraging teens to think twice about the commitment they would need to make if they have a baby as a teen.
Listen to radio spot.
April 2008
This campaign was another classic mis-direct targeting teens as they prepared for their summer vacation. Billboards around town promoted a number to call to earn “Extra Cash”. However, over 17,000 teens received a message from a teen mom and crying baby that if they wanted extra cash this summer they should think twice before having a baby.
View artwork and listen to message.
March 2008
The campaign, featured in print media and inside sports arenas, was targeted at adult males who don’t think about the consequences of having sex with minors. The ads read, “You didn’t just screw a kid. You screwed two".
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March 2008
To make the issue of Teen Pregnancy the most tangible and real issue facing our community, we followed a young teen named Kendra from Milwaukee’s North side. A video series followed Kendra to share her story and the affects that teen pregnancy had on her everyday life.
Watch videos.
January-March 2008
Teens found out that calling this number was definitely not a good time. The interactive campaign was designed to look like graffiti that read, “For a good time call, 414-263-8331” on bus sides, billboards and bus shelters. However, on the other end of the call was a crying baby and a teen parent explaining a good time isn’t always what you think it is.
View artwork and listen to message.
December 2007
Teen Pregnancy is not just an “inner city” issue, it affects the entire community. This message to business owners and workers was that the cost of a baby born to a teen costs local tax payers over $92,000 a year. The message was to increase funding to help prevent teen pregnancy, before it became a much larger financial burden.
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November 2007
This campaign urged teens to think deeper about the true effects of pregnancy at a young age. More importantly, that teen pregnancy is not something to glamorize. The campaign, located at bus shelters, engaged teens to look closer at everything that comes along with having a child. Examples included losing sleep, isolation, working multiple jobs and nausea. Each day youth observers could find a new word within the orange face on the bus shelter.
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October 2007
Teens are vulnerable, especially to older men who are willing to promise long-term committed relationships, big houses, or nice cars in exchange for sex. However, these girls are often blindsided and left alone with empty promises. The radio spot was targeted to teens to encourage them not to believe everything they may be promised by an older partner.
Listen to radio spots.
May 2007
In Milwaukee, 71% of teen births are fathered by men over the age of 20. This is statutory rape and an issue never really talked about. These radio commercials were directed right at the heart of the issue to men who are preying on younger girls.
Listen to radio spots.
April 2007
To help fund future campaigns and bring awareness to local business these ads show how teen pregnancy affects health care costs and employment rates in Milwaukee. Ads were placed in local general and business newspapers.
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April 2007
One of the most recognized and shocking campaigns in the city flipped the script on everything previously thought about teen pregnancy. The pregnant boy campaign featured three pregnant teen boys and told the audience that “It shouldn’t be any less disturbing when it’s a girl.” Drawing national and international attention, the campaign brought the issue to the public’s conscious overnight.
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May 2006
From nurses and construction workers to teachers and politicians this 60 second commercial encouraged everyone in the community to help address the issue of Teen Pregnancy.
Watch the video.
March 2006
BabyCanWait.com was established for teens and parents as a safe place to learn about teen pregnancy. The website, still live ten years later, features resources for teens and parents to provide straightforward answers to questions about sexual health, puberty and relationships.
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