MOBILE, Ala., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Square Agency launched an integrated campaign in mid-September for the CollegeCounts 529 Fund, formerly called the Alabama Higher Education 529 Fund, which is a product of the Alabama State Treasury Department and managed by a national investment firm. Comprised of print and interactive advertising, sales collateral and two 30-second television spots, the campaign uses humor to position the college savings plan as a smart gift by juxtaposing it against unwise gifts given to children.

"The creative strategy for this product was tight: 'the CollegeCounts 529 Fund is a smart gift.' From this simple, single-minded thought, we developed a campaign that we believe is aggressively original and unexpected for the financial category and one that will drive both word-of-mouth about the fund and increased enrollment," said Rich Sullivan, agency president and executive creative director.

Television spots dramatize the comical repercussions of not-so-smart gifts children receive from their parents or grandparents and end with a call to "give smart." For instance, in one spot a father is reminded of what happened when he ordered plutonium off the Internet for his son's science kit. In another, a couple explains to their child's grandfather that giving to his education would be smarter than giving him a knife-throwing set. Print advertising, interactive advertising and enrollment kits all support the "give smart" strategy with gift-wrapping paper designs and the use of headlines such as "the gift they can't leave out in the rain" and "the gift your dog can't chew into pieces."

"All parents can identify with the 'bad gift' scenario," Sullivan explained. "Through extreme and humorous exaggeration, we approach our audience in a unique and memorable way, while driving home our main message -- college savings is THE smartest gift you could give your child."

Red Square Agency's team included Rich Sullivan, executive creative director; Matt Whitfield, creative director, art director and copywriter; Bryant Tanner, brand strategist; Chris Stoltz, copywriter; and Sara Miles St. Clair, broadcast producer. The television spots were produced by MOM Worldwide and edited by Beast.

For more information on the campaign, including images from production and the final creative, visit redsquareagency.com/collegecounts. For more information on the CollegeCounts 529 Fund, visit CollegeCounts529.com.

RED SQUARE AGENCY is an independent, full-service creative advertising and public relations agency headquartered in Mobile, Ala. The agency and its work have been profiled in The Wall Street Journal, AdWeek, Advertising Age, PRWeek, The Dallas Morning News, CNBC, The LA Times, Financial Advertising Review, Healthcare Marketing Advisor, Restaurant Business and Nation s Restaurant News. Founded in 1977, the agency is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Public Relations Society of America. Visit us at redsquareagency.com.

    Contact: Niki Lim
    (251) 476-1283 or (251) 753-6912
    niki@redsquareagency.com

SOURCE Red Square Agency