Planned Parenthood: It's Your Right

Real Montanans, Real Rights

Working in conjunction with a local advertising agency, Westridge Creative, PPMT was able to produce a high-quality, evocative campaign that not only captured the spirit of Montana but spoke directly and effectively about the right to choose.

While the connection between privacy, individual rights, and choice is nothing new, what sets these ads apart is the imagery — women standing amidst purple mountain's majesty and softly waving American flags. Such patriotic symbols are typically associated with conservative, anti-choice, right-wing extremists. But with this public awareness campaign, PPMT was able to forge a strong connection between rugged individualism, patriotism, and the right to choose. In these ads, a woman's right to choose is patriotic.

The ads feature real-life Montana women standing in the great outdoors — in front of mountains and wooden fence posts. In the television spots, the women recite the privacy language found in the Roe v. Wade decision and in the Montana State Constitution. Indeed, individual rights are strongly protected by law in Montana.

"The campaign was really local," says Beth Ann Cogswell, PPMT director of development and marketing, who helped bring the campaign to life. "It really speaks to Montanans in a powerful way."

Protecting Privacy

The ads debuted in January 2005 at a critical time in Montana — the Roe v. Wade anniversary and the opening of the state's legislative session.

"We tend to see a lot of anti-choice bills in our legislature, which meets every two years," says Cogswell.

When laws concerning mandatory parental involvement or mandated waiting periods passed through the Montana House and Senate, PPMT and other pro-choice groups brought the laws to the Montana Supreme Court — and won each time. Says Cogswell, "The Montana Supreme Court always found in favor of us because of the constitution's privacy clause."

The importance of the privacy clause cannot be overstated. "Montanans themselves seem to really value an individual's right to privacy," says Cogswell. "That's especially true with land and water rights." The PPMT public awareness campaign sought to extend those feelings about individual privacy to the issue of choice.

The Results

The PPMT campaign ran in all four of its health care communities — Billings, Great Falls, Helena, and Missoula. At first, they seemed to catch people by surprise — which was the point. "People said when they first saw the ad, 'What is this — some Republican ad?" says Cogswell. It quickly became clear that the campaign was taking back the patriotic imagery too often used by the opposition against pro-choice groups.

"It was certainly something different for us," Cogswell says.

Overall, the campaign was very well received. That legislative session, PPMT raised more money than ever before and saw an increase in its donor and patient base. The campaign also raised PPMT's visibility across the state.

Next Steps

Building on the momentum of the campaign, PPMT has repurposed some of the imagery and language to promote Planned Parenthood services. But the effect, says Cogswell, is not quite the same. She believes that, while the "It's Your Right" campaign proved successful, it's important to keep doing something different.

"I plan to write a grant for a new public awareness campaign" she says. "Ideally, we should do a public awareness campaign that coincides with our goals for the next legislative session." Currently, PPMT is trying hard to pass a bill for comprehensive sex education to be state mandated and is working in conjunction with NARAL Pro-Choice Montana and other groups.

© 2006 Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. All rights reserved.