Kids are like sponges - literally - in a new Milwaukee Campaign

Originally posted on PRWeek.com

MILWAUKEE: As the saying goes, children’s brains are like sponges. 

In case that idea is hard for less-sponge-like adult brains to absorb, a new campaign in Milwaukee that encourages parents to interact with their children is making the image more vivid. 

The city of Milwaukee’s Office of Early Childhood Initiatives and Serve Marketing, a volunteer advertising agency, launched the Sponge Babies campaign last Monday with ads in English and Spanish on bus shelters and billboards. The creative elements depict babies that literally look like sponges. 

“It's a little bizarre. It's a little odd. It makes people do a double take,” said Gary Mueller, founder of Serve Marketing. “We just want an indelible image out there so that every time [parents] see it, they know that they should be talking, reading and playing with their kids.”

The organizations are targeting ZIP codes with the highest dropout rates, said Mueller, who also works as executive creative director of creative agency BVK.  

The advertisements use phrases such as “kids absorb everything,” and “kids soak it all up.”

“Children are like sponges. Listening to you is how they learn to learn. The more you talk to them, the smarter they can be,” one advertisement says.

It also includes a website, MightySmallMoments.com, which features Office of Early Childhood Initiatives resources. 

The campaign worked with InPower, a Black- and woman-owned agency, on the website and social media for the campaign, including a custom filter for Snapchat and TikTok that allows users to “spongify” their child and spread awareness about the campaign. 

“It's just another way to get people talking about this and being aware of what we want kids to do,” Mueller said. 

The campaign cost less than $15,000, with Serve Marketing volunteering its services, Mueller said.