DonateMyDress.org Names Victoria Justice as Official Celebrity Spokesperson & Partners with Always® for Its Purple Dress Awards

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hearst Digital Media today announced the 2012 DonateMyDress.org (DMD) campaign with Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice as the official celebrity spokesperson. This prom season, Donate My Dress also partners with Always®, the leader in feminine protection, for its annual Purple Dress Awards, which recognize the most outstanding chapters in the DonateMyDress.org network.

“DMD is committed to helping girls, and, through this partnership with Always, it takes just choosing a dress on Facebook for girls – and their moms, aunts, sisters, friends – to help make others’ prom dreams come true.”

The DMD campaign is designed to encourage girls around the country to donate their prom and special occasion dresses to girls in need. Later this year, Victoria Justice will donate one of her own dresses to a deserving girl.

“I’m really excited to be a part of the DMD organization. Prom can be really expensive; this program is an easy way for girls everywhere to get involved and help other girls in need. In addition to serving as DMD’s 2012 spokeswoman, I’m excited to donate a dress for the first time this year too. I’ll be giving the Jill Stuart dress that I wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards to help someone have a night to remember.”

In support of the Purple Dress Awards, Always will donate $1¹ for every girl who visits the Always Facebook page and chooses her favorite prom dress style. Once 25,000 girls choose their dress styles, Always will donate $25,000 so that five deserving DonateMyDress.org chapters across the United States receive $5,000 each through the organization’s Purple Dress Awards.

“Girls who cannot afford to buy new dresses often have to make the hard choice between wearing dresses they don’t feel good in or skipping prom altogether,” says Lucy Maher, executive director, network programming of Hearst Digital Media. “DMD is committed to helping girls, and, through this partnership with Always, it takes just choosing a dress on Facebook for girls – and their moms, aunts, sisters, friends – to help make others’ prom dreams come true.”

To get involved, visit the Always Facebook page (www.facebook.com/always), choose a favorite prom dress style and Always will donate $1¹ to DonateMyDress.org. The Purple Dress Award winners can use this financial support to help offset the operational and programming expenses of their organization – which may include everything from dry cleaning and mending dresses, to empowerment workshops and space for dress drives.

“Prom is a special event in a teen’s girl life and an experience that no girl should miss because she doesn’t have a dress,” says Sarah Innes, Always Marketing Director. “Always is committed to helping girls feel confident, especially on prom night. By supporting DonateMyDress.org, we’re able to help girls realize their prom dreams and encourage girls to help others feel their best this prom season.”

For more information and to learn how to donate previously worn dresses to local chapters, please visit DonateMyDress.org.

DonateMyDress.org is the first national campaign designed to encourage girls around the country to donate their prom and special occasion dresses to girls who cannot afford to finance the costly experience of going to their prom, Sweet 16, Quinceañera or formal on their own. DonateMyDress.org is part of the Hearst Teen Network, which includes Cosmogirl.com, Seventeen.com, ElleGirl.com, and MisQuinceMag.com. With 1.7 million monthly unique visitors, the Hearst Teen Network is one of the top 6 ranked teen networks online, according to November’s ComScore Media Metrix.

The site features a directory of more than 100 local dress drive organizations across the U.S. enabling girls to easily find out where in their local markets they can donate a dress or receive one. In addition, DonateMyDress.org features information on upcoming local events, a photo gallery of real girls donating and receiving dresses, as well as links to content on prom and quinceañera planning, hair and makeup tips, and other worthy causes. A number of young celebrities have been involved with DonateMyDress.org, including Ashley Greene, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Nikki Blonsky and Brittany Snow, all of whom have donated their own dresses to the cause.

About Hearst Digital Media

Launched in March 2006, Hearst Digital Media, a unit of Hearst Magazines, is dedicated to creating and implementing the digital strategy for Hearst’s magazine brands and other sites, which serve the company’s consumer audience. The unit oversees more than 28 websites and 14 mobile sites for brands such as Cosmopolitan, ELLE, ELLE DECOR, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, Popular Mechanics, Road & Track and Seventeen, as well as digital-only sites such as Delish.com, a food site in partnership with MSN; and RealBeauty.com. Hearst Magazines has published more than 150 applications and digital editions for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, as well as the Android platform. In addition, the company includes iCrossing, a global digital marketing agency.

About Always®

Always®, the world's leader in feminine protection, offers a wide range of feminine pads, wipes and pantiliners designed to fit different body types, period flows and preferences. The Always line of feminine products includes Always Infinity™, Always Ultra Thins, Always Maxis, Always Pantiliners and Always Feminine Wipes. Please visit www.always.com for more information.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G touches and improves the lives of about 4.4 billion people around the world with its portfolio of trusted, quality brands. The Company's leadership brands include Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, and Ambi Pur®. With operations in about 80 countries, P&G brands are available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

¹ Up to $25,000

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