DES MOINES, Iowa (Dec. 2, 2022) – Count the Kicks (CTK), a highly successful stillbirth prevention program that Strategic America (SA) — an integrated marketing agency with headquarters in West Des Moines, Iowa — helped create 15 years ago, will be featured on the NFL cleats of three Indianapolis Colts players during NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcast.
It’s part of the My Cause My Cleats campaign the NFL hosts once a year where they allow players to feature a cause they care about. Matt Haack, punter for the Colts and West Des Moines Dowling Catholic graduate; Ryan Kelly, center for the Colts and dad to Mary Kate who died one year ago; and placekicker Chase McLaughlin will be wearing the special cleats. Each cleat features a logo SA created — one of Count the Kicks, and one of Every Kick Counts, a new initiative the stillbirth prevention nonprofit organization created earlier this year. This is the first time Count the Kicks has ever been featured during My Cause My Cleats.
Count the Kicks, an evidence-based stillbirth prevention campaign that started in Des Moines, teaches expectant parents the importance of and method for tracking their baby’s movement in the third trimester of pregnancy. One out of every 169 pregnancies in the U.S. ends in stillbirth, according to CDC Wonder. Count the Kicks is an early warning system for expectant parents. A change in a baby’s movements in the third trimester is a red flag there may be an issue developing with the pregnancy.
If a mom notices a change, the campaign empowers her to speak up and get checked out. Much like chest pains are a sign of a heart attack, a change in a baby’s movements can alert mom and doctor to a concerning issue. Since Count the Kicks began, Iowa’s stillbirth rate has gone down 32 percent since and the organization has expanded into 21 states. New research shows the campaign led to a one percent stillbirth rate reduction every three months for a decade (2008-2018), while states neighboring Iowa have remained stagnant or gotten worse.
Ryan and Emma Kelly of the Colts lost their daughter Mary Kate on Dec. 17 of last year. They’ve chosen to use their platform to raise awareness so no other family has to endure the loss of a baby. They were featured in an Indy Star article about why they chose to get involved with Count the Kicks.
Matt Haack is a Des Moines native who chose to get involved in Every Kick Counts earlier this year. He created a fundraiser where athletes across the country are raising critical awareness and funds for CTK and doing something good for their community. Kickers and punters are particularly involved — with the idea that every kick counts both on the field and during pregnancy.
Strategic America is the marketing partner of Count the Kicks, consistently helping get life-saving materials in the hands of expectant parents and providers across the country.
“It is immensely rewarding for the Strategic America team to contribute to Count the Kick’s growth over the past 13 years,” said John Schreurs, CEO of Strategic America, Count the Kicks’ marketing partner. “What started in Iowa with five brave moms, today reaches across the nation and beyond. Now, as Every Kick Counts gains momentum and a national spotlight, we are awed by the amazing support for this worthy cause and humbled at the opportunity to help this new initiative reach expecting parents across the U.S.”
“Strategic America helps create brands that are powerful and long-lasting and that is proven in Count the Kicks. To date, we’ve saved babies from preventable stillbirth in 35 states and five countries, and our educational materials have reached nearly three million moms. To see SA’s visual creations on a national stage is so exciting to us — we are grateful for all that SA has done to elevate our work over many years,” said Emily Price, CEO of Healthy Birth Day, Inc., the nonprofit organization behind Count the Kicks.
###
About Strategic America
Strategic America (SA) is an employee-owned, integrated marketing firm specializing in multi-location marketing, brand building and customer engagement. Based in West Des Moines, Iowa, and representing a diverse set of clients that span multiple industries and geographies, Strategic America builds brands by using strategy and insights to power engagement and results. SA has earned the 4A’s Workplace Enlightenment certification and is ranked in the top fifteen percent of all independent agencies nationwide. SA is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As), the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and Association of National Advertisers (ANA). Learn more at www.strategicamerica.com.
