Title:

Message On Crime Still Powerful Right after 25 Years

: 337

Summary: It began as a straightforward thought. An animated dog in a rumpled trench coat, uttering the words, "You don\'t know me however. But you will."

Key phrases: Message On Crime Still Powerful Following 25 Years

Write-up Body: It began as a basic notion. An animated dog in a rumpled trench coat, uttering the words, "You do not know me however. But you will."

Twenty-five years and 3 generations later, folks still recognize McGruff the Crime Dog as an American icon that is "taking a bite out of crime."

In the early 1970s, most folks notion it was strictly up to law enforcement to avoid crime. Yet, a group of concerned private citizens and government leaders believed that working individually and collectively, in tandem with the police, could support in crime prevention.

Quickly-forward to 1980, when an ad campaign - developed by advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi and distributed by The Advertising Council Inc. - introduced McGruff the Crime Dog to the American public.

Originally, the National Crime Prevention Council's iconic brand targeted adults with widespread-sense messages about every little thing from residence security to neighborhood safety.

Over the years, he extended his reach to teens and youngsters, teaching them how to safeguard themselves against the dangers of drug abuse and gun violence, and a lot more lately, how to manage bullies and surf the World wide web safely.

Given that his debut, McGruff has been instrumental in showing adults and youth alike how their involvement can lessen crime. Nowadays far more than 3 out of 4 Americans believe they can personally do some thing to stop crimes from occurring.

Even though crime in general has been decreased from the highs observed in the 1990s, it remains a reality in communities across the nation each and every day. To this end, it is clear that even with a much more diverse, older, technologies-savvy nation, McGruff the Crime Dog still has a job to do.

In the past quarter-century, McGruff has turn into much more than just a familiar face. He is a accurate piece of Americana, even appearing in trivia questions on "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune," in movies such as "Mystic River," and on VH1's "I Really like the 80s Strikes Back." Far more than $1 billion has been donated to support spread McGruff's message that together, we can all "Take A Bite Out of Crime."