FIRE launches $3M free speech advertising campaign in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, April 3, 2023 – Today the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression launched a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign in the Philadelphia media market to raise awareness of its mission: defending free speech for all Americans. 

The campaign is part of FIRE’s recent $75 million expansion into off-campus free speech advocacy and defense, and it will feature ads on television, radio, billboards, and digital platforms.

To honor the ratification of the First Amendment in 1791 — and to celebrate the campaign’s launch — FIRE will hold a “Free Cheesesteaks for Free Speech” event, giving away 1,791 free cheesesteaks at Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks on Wednesday, April 5 starting at 11 am.  

“You can’t talk about the Constitution and our democracy without talking about Philadelphia,” said FIRE Legal Director Will Creeley. “This is where the Founders put pen to paper! And since our founding in 1999, FIRE has been proud to call Philly our home. Our headquarters is right next to Independence Hall. We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

FIRE is spending $3.1 million on advertising in Philadelphia throughout April, including $1.3 million on television. A spot featuring musician, actor, and producer Ice-T will run on WTXF, WPVI, WCAU, and KYW through April 16. In the ad, Ice-T speaks about his experiences with music censorship and the importance of preserving free speech: “We don’t have to like what we hear, but we all have the right to express ourselves.”

WATCH THE AD: “Actor Ice-T speaks about the importance of protecting free speech”

A man-on-the-street video ad featuring Philly locals sharing their thoughts on free speech will run across digital platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, through April 30. “If we stifle freedom of speech, we’re basically stifling the American experience,” says one Philadelphian in the video. 

WATCH THE AD: “Man on the Street”

Additional video ads running on WTXF, WPVI, WCAU, KYW, NBC Sports Philly, and CTV include “Free Speech Around the World” and the inspiring stories of Keshia Thomas and KJ Lynum, who bravely stood up for free speech in the face of adversity. The ads will air throughout the Masters Golf Tournament and during the NCAA National Championship Game.

FIRE will also advertise on more than 100 billboards, including four in Center City, and on dozens of displays at the Philadelphia International Airport. Most billboard locations can be found on this map.

“We hope Philadelphians will join our fight to defend free speech rights for all Americans,” said FIRE Chief Operating Officer Alisha Glennon, who was born and raised in Philadelphia. “Our Constitution was written and signed here. It only makes sense that the movement to preserve our constitutional rights is championed here.”

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides the means to preserve them. 

FIRE has been headquartered in Center City Philadelphia since its founding in 1999. For most of its history, FIRE focused exclusively on defending individual rights on American college campuses. FIRE expanded its mission to off-campus free speech advocacy in June 2022.

Please feel free to reach out for further discussion or to connect with FIRE Legal Director Will Creeley or Chief Operating Officer Alisha Glennon.

CONTACT:

Meaghan Leister, leister@longwellpartners.com