We’ve shared some amazing examples of people doing incredible things and today, we want to shine a light on an important issue that has likely touched you, or your loved ones. Bullying affects millions of kids every day – with over 13 million kids in the US being bullied this year, and over 3 million students missing school each month because they feel unsafe at school.
To help combat bullying, The Weinstein Company is premiering a new anti-bullying documentary, “Bully”, tonight in Los Angeles. The goal of “Bully” is to get parents, students, educators, and advocates involved to help stop bullying. The film will be released in New York and Los Angeles theaters on March 30 and in other cities on April 13.
Today, we’re happy to join the “Bully” movement to help raise awareness of the serious implications of bullying with the goal of inspiring people to stand up to bullying. We’re pleased to join together with Ellen DeGeneres, Justin Bieber, Meryl Streep, Anderson Cooper, Kelly Ripa, Demi Lovato, Tommy Hilfiger, Billie Jean King, Drew Brees and many others, including high school student Katy Butler, to help stop bullying. Butler is doing her part – starting a petition to encourage the Motion Picture Association of America to change the rating on “Bully” from R to PG-13 so kids can see the film. Butler gathered more than 400,000 signatures and delivered the petition earlier this month, showing that any of us can make a difference.
Here at Bing, we believe we can help this movement by leading online and driving for change. Bing is designed for doing and we’re committed to helping people find the best resources to help address this important issue. Our partnership with The Weinstein Company includes an ad campaign appearing on TV and online, social media promotion, and the sponsorship of multiple screenings of the film.
Tonight, we’re honored to sponsor the official premiere of “Bully”, hosted by Guiliana Rancic, Joel McHale, and Victoria Justice. Over the next few weeks, we will launch an integrated ad campaign to promote “Bully”, illustrating the impact of bullying and rallying people to get involved to stop bullying. You’ll also see us leading a discussion on our social media channels, highlighting information on MSN.com, and doing what we can to help.
We encourage you to join the conversation with @Bing at #bullymovie. You can learn more about the film at http://www.thebullyproject.com/.
Lisa Gurry
Senior Director, Bing and MSN