Media Contact:
David LaBar Sapient +1 646.478.9846 [email protected]
Media Contact:
Theresa Tepper Powell Communications +1 212.475.6303 [email protected]
Global Headquarters: 131 Dartmouth Street 3rd Floor Boston, MA 02116 United States tel: +1 617 621 0200 fax: +1 617 621 1300
sapientnitro.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SapientNitro, AEIOU Stage “Communication Shutdown” on Nov. 1 to Support
Autism Awareness and Research
BRISBANE – October 26, 2010 – SapientNitro, part of Sapient (NASDAQ: SAPE), has teamed up with the Australia-based AEIOU Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides therapy for children with autism, to stage “Communication Shutdown” to support autism awareness and research. Social communication is one of the biggest challenges for people with autism. To demonstrate this and raise awareness of the issue, autism charities in more than 40 countries join forces to launch a campaign to challenge the world’s 4.5 billion social media users to shut down their Facebook and Twitter communications for one day on November 1. “We all take social communication for granted, but it is one of the biggest challenges for people with autism – this was the driving premise for the campaign. Rather than spend donations on advertising, the fundraiser is powered by the people and is ironically using social networks to shutdown social networks,” said Nancy Hartley, executive creative director of SapientNitro in Australia. Rachael Harris, a counselor and supporter, who herself autistic, explained: “Electing to shutdown social media communications mirrors autistic silence. But it also draws attention to the isolation and intense loneliness experienced by those who are impeded from connecting socially with others. The CHAPP is a powerful way to create a true sense of empathy towards those on the autism spectrum.” Designed to be powered by the people, the campaign encourages social media users to make a donation to receive a charity app, CHAPP, to signal their support. For a $5 donation, the Communication Shutdown app will connect with the user’s Facebook and Twitter accounts and enable them to:
• Place an official shutdown badge over their profile pictures • Sync their Facebook pictures to the campaign’s global mosaic of supporters,
including international celebrities, found on the campaign’s homepage. Celebrity supporters include Mat Rogers, Ryan Shelton, Anthony ‘The Man’ Mundine, Steven Segal, Fran Drescher and Deepak Chopra.
• Show support in other ways, including: email signatures, blog buttons or screensavers.
SapientNitro developed the strategy, creative, web design and development behind the campaign’s website. SapientNitro also created the app for Facebook and Twitter, and CHAPP is currently available (through October 31) on the campaign website www.communicationshutdown.org.
Media Contact:
David LaBar Sapient +1 646.478.9846 [email protected]
Media Contact:
Theresa Tepper Powell Communications +1 212.475.6303 [email protected]
Global Headquarters: 131 Dartmouth Street 3rd Floor Boston, MA 02116 United States tel: +1 617 621 0200 fax: +1 617 621 1300
sapientnitro.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE More than two thirds of the world’s population stays connected through social networks like Facebook and Twitter. As people become more reliant on these channels to communicate worldwide, the Communication Shutdown fundraiser campaign will also serve as a social experiment on social media habits. A comprehensive library of screen shots and other media assets can be found at: https://communicationshutdown.org/?view=media-centre. Participating partner organizations sorted by country are listed alphabetically on the website: https://communicationshutdown.org/?view=global-autism-partners. About SapientNitro SapientNitroSM, part of Sapient®, is the world’s first customer experience company. We create and engineer highly relevant experiences that accelerate business growth and fuel brand advocacy for our clients. By combining multi-channel marketing, multi-channel commerce, and the technology that binds them, we influence customer behavior across the spectrum of content, communication and commerce channels, resulting in deeper, more meaningful relationships between customers and brands. SapientNitro services global leaders such as Citi, The Coca-Cola Company, Mars, Singapore Airlines, Target, and Vodafone through our operations in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. For more information, visit www.sapientnitro.com or follow us on Twitter @sapientnitro.
# # # Sapient is a registered service mark of Sapient Corporation.
Recommended
