Meet Heather Aldrich

Aldrich herself went out to gather opinions from Milwaukee teens about a particular bus shelter ad. The results would be both surprising and gratifying.

“As we were filming them, that ad triggered memories of our other ads. That’s exactly what we set out to accomplish. It was awesome to see it happen in their heads and then start a conversation about it right there.”

Getting through to teens is tough enough for parents, but for advertisers, getting through to the skeptical Gen Y set is nearly impossible. Luckily, Aldrich is not concerned about obstacles that stand in her way. It comes back to her philosophy — it’s not about the obstacles themselves, but how you get around them.

“Heather has changed everything about how we operate,” Mueller says. “Every time we have a problem where someone tries to stop us, she overcomes all of the obstacles, lobbies the right people, and the campaigns succeed.”

Aldrich is known just as much for her hair as she is for her determined attitude. Photo by Adam Ryan Morris

Aldrich says it’s true. “I feel like I’m part lobbyist,” she says, explaining that all outdoor advertising — a main component of many Serve campaigns — in the city of Milwaukee needs approval from the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors’ transit committee. And when looking at some of Serve’s ads, it’s clear that her path to success is riddled with adversity.

For Aldrich, the first step to winning people over is to meet with the right people. Before Serve’s teen pregnancy campaigns began, Aldrich landed meetings with committee members by saying she was a citizen concerned about the rising teen pregnancy rates in the city.

And several years later, despite some controversy and initially reluctant board members, the campaigns can be considered a success. Recent data from public health officials shows that Milwaukee’s teen pregnancy rates are dropping, even in the face of a bleak economy.

Some critics say Serve’s ads are too much, but Aldrich disagrees.

“It’s worth the risk of offending,” she says. “We’re not talking about making less money. We’re talking about saving lives. Isn’t that worth it?”

Dan Magnuson, president and CEO of Pathfinders, agrees. “In order to get people’s attention, you need to make them uncomfortable,” he says.

In commercial advertising, the last thing you hope to do is make people uncomfortable enough to avoid your campaign. But Serve is confident that their tactics, when applied to non-profit campaigns, will move viewers enough to take a second look and reconsider. In the world of non-profit advertising, in which soft music and sepia-toned video footage previously dominated, Serve’s in-your-face tactics changed the game.

Take the “How Can You Sleep?” campaign mentioned earlier. Pathfinders had been struggling to make Milwaukee residents care not only about homelessness, but homeless teens specifically.

Thanks to the campaign that turned heads — including that of the police chief — Milwaukeeans were forced to wonder how they could ignore a freezing teen sleeping at their feet. It was a provocative campaign not because of the images, but because it made people recognize the comfortable lifestyles they took for granted — and all because they were confronted by something that could not be overlooked.

This is certainly a powerful technique. However, it’s the personal stories real people share that really pack a punch. When Aldrich is able to convince someone to share his or her story, sometimes a small, but meaningful gesture will follow — and that’s when Aldrich knows she helped make a difference.

Aldrich and the Serve Marketing staff have received hundreds of thank-you notes from individuals and nonprofits. Photo by Adam Ryan Morris

In 2009, a mother who had spoken publicly about the tragic story of her shaken baby contacted Aldrich. The woman’s neighbor recognized her and stopped her to say she thought of the campaign every time she was at a breaking point with her infant.

“I forwarded that to everyone who volunteered on that campaign,” Aldrich says.

And while small gestures do bring her great joy, and while her campaigns regularly meet and exceed the expectations of Serve’s clients, Aldrich does not consider herself impervious to criticism. Considering the gravity of some of the causes she works with, Aldrich faces a daily battle maintaining an attitude of professionalism, energy and creativity that seems to be just the right combination for clients. Despite her success, she still battles the same insecurities many women struggle with deep down.

“I am no stranger to self-doubt,” she confesses. “That’s where working for a cause every day helps…It’s bigger than me and my self-doubt.” She also has some advice to share with women who don’t have the same good fortune of finding their dream jobs.

“Hold on to each accomplishment. Even if it’s just a successful birthday party for your kid,” she says. “We allow ourselves to feel bad about our mistakes [but we need] to hold on to … the smaller successes and let them fuel future success.”