Delivering Hope: 40 Years of the "Have You Seen Me?" Campaign

For years, Americans opening their mail have been met with something far more powerful than coupons or catalogs—the faces of missing children.

Launched in 1985, the Have You Seen Me? campaign was created by ADVO, a direct mail company that partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The idea was simple but revolutionary: ADVO mailed millions of postcards each week, each featuring a photo of a missing child and the now-iconic words Have You Seen Me? Delivered through the U.S. Postal Service, these cards turned mailboxes into moments that could change a child’s life.

In 2007, ADVO was acquired by Valassis, which continued the campaign and expanded its reach. Now, as the program marks its 40th anniversary, it has helped lead to the recovery of at least 164 missing children.

To reflect on the milestone, NCMEC spoke with Vince Giuliano, the former ADVO executive who launched the campaign. Though retired, Giuliano remains a passionate advocate and serves on NCMEC’s board of directors.

Q: When did you get the idea for this campaign?

A: In 1984, after watching Adam, the movie about John and Revé Walsh and their son. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I met John and knew I had to act. At ADVO, we were already delivering 100 million pieces of mail weekly—so we used that network to help find missing children. The first card went out on May 25, 1985—National Missing Children’s Day.

Q: How did it become a national program?

A: We started with 35 million cards a week, each featuring a child’s photo and the words “Have You Seen Me?” That number eventually grew to 100 million. We knew the power of the mailbox, and we used it to make a difference.

Q: Who was the first child featured on an ADVO flier?

A: Cherrie Mahan was 8 years old when she was abducted just 50 feet from her driveway back in 1985. She had just gotten off her school bus in Cabot, Pennsylvania. It is heartbreaking. Her photo has been featured multiple times on the mailers. She still hasn’t been found, but her case remains a symbol of why this campaign matters. It is a symbol of hope that someday Cherrie will come home.

Cherrie Ann Mahan at age 8 and age progressed to 48. (Credit: NCMEC)

Q: You found a touching way to welcome children home, involving teddy bears—how did that begin?

A: I kept a closet full of teddy bears. When a child was recovered, I’d send one on the next flight to that city. Police would deliver it. On our fifth anniversary, some of those kids gave me a six-foot Vermont teddy bear. That meant the world to me.

Vince Giuliano, retired ADVO executive. (Credit: Vince Giuliano) 

Q: Are there any success stories that have stuck with you?

A: Eric Wetzel was abducted as a newborn in 1986 from his home in Dallas. He was then abandoned by the abductor and became part of the foster system without them realizing his true identity. Fifteen months later, a case worker in Texas recognized his distinctive cheekbones from one of the ADVO mailers. He was three years old when he finally reunited with his family. 

Then there’s Eric Vom Lehn. In 1990, a woman vacationing in Cancun noticed a little boy playing on the beach with an adult male. When the woman spoke to the little boy, there was something suspicious about their conversation. The woman took a photo of the child. She returned home to South Carolina and almost a year later, saw his face in her mailbox on an ADVO flier. She dug out the photo she had snapped of the little boy in Mexico. Believing it was the same child, she called NCMEC. That call led to his rescue. It was remarkable.

Q: What did this campaign mean to you personally?

A: It was never about awards. A little girl once hugged my leg and said, “Thank you for bringing me home to my daddy.” That’s the only validation I’ve ever needed.