CAMPAIGN VOICED BY SUPERSTAR KELLY ROWLAND
'CAUSES' PROMOTES CAMPAIGN TO ITS 12 MILLION MEMBERS
LONDON and NEW YORK, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- MTV's Staying Alive
Foundation, SpinVox and Causes on Facebook today announced the launch of
their joint campaign, 'Stand By What You Say'. The groundbreaking
initiative encourages young people to speak openly about sex, sexual health
and HIV/AIDS, with a view to increasing awareness and breaking down the
stigma and discrimination which so often accompanies the disease.
The campaign, which uses the SpinVox service to convert voice messages
into text, is the first of its kind. It encourages users to pick up the
phone and 'Talk About...' the pleasures and issues surrounding 21st century
sex. Those that speak up are then asked to bolster their support by
pledging money to the Staying Alive Foundation, MTV's HIV and AIDS charity
which allocates grants to youth-led organisations who work to raise
awareness on a local, grass-roots level. SpinVox itself will be 'standing
by what it says' to match funds raised to the value of $50,000.
'Stand By What You Say' aims to empower young people to speak freely
about sex. It advocates that only by speaking openly can the stigmas be
erased and barriers broken down. An open mind leads to open discussions
which ultimately helps promote safe sex and lowers the risk of HIV and
AIDS.
Callers are greeted by 2008 Staying Alive Foundation Ambassador Kelly
Rowland, who prompts them to leave a message at 513-729-6417. The voice
messages are converted to text and posted on a bespoke Staying Alive Blog
http://www.standbywhatyousay.com by SpinVox. Topics such as 'sex secrets,'
'one night stands' and 'condoms' will act as conversation starters and
encourage debate among global youth audience. Different themes and
questions will be posed throughout the campaign to keep the contributions
coming.
"MTV is proud to be a part of this innovative campaign," said Bill
Roedy, CEO, MTV Networks International. It is only by speaking out openly
about sex, sexual health and HIV/AIDS, that attitudes can be changed,
barriers broken and stigma reduced. 'STAND BY WHAT YOU SAY' is the right to
talk freely about your first crush, about the craziest place you've had
sex, about carrying condoms. It's about talking freely about peer pressure
to have sex or choosing not to. By speaking freely and standing by what you
say, we are encouraging young people to take the first step in altering the
dynamics of the epidemic."
"Voice-powering a campaign in this way is a world first," says
Christina Domecq, SpinVox co-founder and CEO. "Together with MTV we're
breaking new ground by changing how people can contribute to the Staying
Alive Foundation, encouraging them to speak freely, openly and honestly
about sex and the issues of HIV/AIDS. Sharing experiences, advice, the good
and bad times, but also the ridiculous and humourous moments that happen
around sex is a powerful way to involve and educate others, harnessing the
power that we all have to change attitudes and so the progression of this
disease."
For more information about the Staying Alive Foundation, visit
http://www.staying-alive.org.
About MTV's Staying Alive Foundation
Founded in 2004, MTV's Staying Alive Foundation is a global public
charity operating in affiliation with MTV Networks International. Its
mission is to empower and support young people who are protecting
themselves and their communities against HIV and AIDS. The Foundation
provides grants to youth-led initiatives committed to educating their peers
about HIV and AIDS. It is dedicated to fighting stigma and discrimination
and empowering young people to protect themselves against the disease. For
more information log onto http://www.staying-alive.org/foundation.
About SpinVox
SpinVox(R) brought together the two most popular methods of
communication -- voice and text -- and created a new category of messaging
called Voice-to-Screen(TM). Its award-winning service is now making
everyday communication simpler and more powerful, creating new recurring
revenues for wireless, landline, cable and VOIP carriers as well as service
providers and web partners. SpinVox has already launched its service with
Alltel, Cincinnati Bell, Sasktel, Rogers, Telus, Telstra, Vodacom South
Africa, Vodafone Spain and livejournal and announced a deal with Skype. As
a managed service provider any network or service can rapidly and
cost-effectively implement SpinVox.
At the heart of SpinVox is its Voice Message Conversion System(TM)
(VMCS), which works by combining state-of-the-art speech technologies with
a live-learning language process. VMCS is being rolled-out across four
continents in four languages -- English, French, Spanish and German.
About Causes
Based in Berkeley, California, Causes is a technology start-up
dedicated to empowering any individual to impact the world around them
through collective action. Through Causes on Facebook or MySpace, any
person with passion and initiative can create a cause, recruit their
friends and, most importantly, raise money directly through the application
for any registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization or political campaign.
About MTV Networks International
MTV Networks International includes the premier multimedia
entertainment brands MTV: Music Television, VH1, Nickelodeon, TMF (The
Music Factory), VIVA, Flux, Paramount Comedy, Comedy Central, Game One,
Neopets, gametrailers, Shockwave, Addicting Games, Atom Films and Xfire.
MTV Networks' brands are seen globally in 560 million households in 162
countries and 33 languages via more than 150 locally programmed and
operated TV channels and more than 350 digital media properties. The
company's diverse holdings also include interests in television
syndication, digital media, publishing, home video, radio, recorded music,
licensing & merchandising and two feature film divisions, MTV Films and
Nickelodeon Movies. MTV Networks is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA,
VIA.B).
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