DC Entertainment’s iconic Justice League characters will be appearing across Time Warner’s entire universe as part of a campaign to aid those starving in the Horn of Africa. The campaign, We Can Be Heroes, will be supported across all Warner Bros. Entertainment’s and Time Warner’s businesses and advertising platforms.
News of the two year, multi-million-dollar commitment was announced jointly by Barry Meyer, chairman & CEO, Warner Bros.; Jeff Robinov, president, Warner Bros. Pictures Group; and Diane Nelson, president, DC Entertainment.
We Can Be Heroes will support the efforts of Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps as they strive to relieve suffering caused by the area’s worst drought and famine in over 60 years, with 13 people million in need of critical assistance and 250,000 facing starvation in Somalia alone.
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg are instantly recognizable to several generations as world heroes. But when they band together as the Justice League, they become “an unstoppable force for good and right in the universe”—a key message of the We Can Be Heroes campaign.
The heart of We Can Be Heroes is its website. DC Entertainment will match donations through WeCanBeHeroes.org dollar for dollar, up to $1 million in donations. The site also raises funds by sales of specially branded merchandise, with 50 percent of the purchase price going to the cause, and offers newletters, updates, social community engagement opportunities, information on each of the partner organizations and more.
“Warner Bros. has a long history of corporate philanthropy and outreach, and this campaign proudly continues that tradition,” Meyer said. “We are a global company, and this is a global issue. By marshalling our expertise in consumer and fan engagement and creating global awareness, we hope we’re able to inspire others to join us in becoming ‘heroes’ and make a difference in the Horn of Africa.”
Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps will equally share a corporate donation of at least $2 million over the next two years comprised of cash donations, employee matching funds and consumer matching funds.
“This campaign goes straight to the heart of our core competency, as Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment both have a rich legacy of telling socially relevant, compelling stories with characters embraced by global audiences,” said Robinov. “The fact that we’re able to take what we do and use it to raise awareness—and inspire action—around a cause as important as this is gratifying. With the support of the entire studio and our Time Warner sister companies, this campaign, like the DC Comics super heroes, will make a great impact on an important issue.”
Related links:
http://www.SaveTheChildren.org
