Ear Bud
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“It’s How You Listen That Counts®”
A cartoon character named “Ear Bud” was created as the icon and mascot of the House Ear Institute’s “It’s How You Listen That Counts” consumer awareness campaign. Ear Bud was designed to appeal to teens and young adults as a wacky “buddy” who loves hanging out with friends and listening to the music teens enjoy. His main purpose as icon of this campaign, however, is to encourage teens to be smart about their listening habits to protect their hearing so they can enjoy their music longer. The Ear Bud character was first introduced with the campaign launch in January 2006 through a public service spot that aired on MTV, as well as the MTV.com website and multiple Yahoo! sites. Ear Bud is also featured on the campaign website at www.earbud.org and makes public appearances at events where he can reach audiences with a hearing conservation message.
In January 2006, Ear Bud made a special appearance at the international NAMM music show, greeting musicians and audio professionals as he distributed hearing protection and campaign flyers. In May 2006, Ear Bud was a crowd pleaser during “Hearing Health Days at The Grove,” a hearing health fair presented by the House Ear Institute at a popular shopping center in Los Angeles. Ear Bud also appeared at the audio industry’s annual TEC Awards presented by the Mix Foundation, which supports the House Ear Institute’s hearing conservation programs. In January 2007, Ear Bud returned to the NAMM trade show to deliver his hearing conservation message and posed for media photos. Ear Bud will continue to make appearances at popular Southern California events.
A full description of Ear Bud and his interests is now available on MySpace.com, where he counts The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé Knowles, Alicia Keyes, Justin Timberlake, Phil Collins, and Hilary Duff among his growing list of online friends.
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