It’s no secret that billboards have been a hot topic of debate in the Midlands. Wonder what kind of local zoning restrictions body billboards like these would incite?

I am sure that you all know what I’m talking about.  Simon, Paula, Randy and Kara only drink out of Coca-Cola cups when they’re sitting behind the judges table on American Idol.  And I’m sure that Back to the Future fans remember the crucial role the DeLorean played in that film.  There was an episode of Friends dedicated to Pheobe’s hatred of Pottery Barn.  Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones characters sported Ray Bans for the entirety of Men in Black.  And everybody knows that E.T.’s candy of choice is Reese’s Pieces.

Product placement has become a serious funding machine.  Companies sponsor television episodes, movies, sporting events and, on occasion, entire television series.  The trade organization of product placement (yes, one exists) assigns a value to the placement based on its type.  For example, showing a product in the background of a scene costs less than if the product is handled by or specifically mentioned by the star.  These days an advertiser might pay the same cost per second to have a prominent placement in a show as they would pay for a 30 second commercial.  Research shows that the most effective placements occur when a 30 second spot precedes and follows the show segment in which the product is placed.

So what gives? Why is product placement so popular?  Numerous studies have been conducted, and it turns out that while the majority of viewers realize a product is being promoted, only half of them consider it to be intrusive. And that, my friends, is exactly the goal of product placement.

So what’s the moral of this story?  Like it or not, product placement is here to stay.  The real question is how do you feel about it?

*The inspiration for this blog came from by the fabulous book I am reading, Watch This Listen Up Click Here: Inside the 300 Billion Dollar Business Behind the Media You Constantly Consume by David Verklin & Bernice Kanner.

Progressive Physical Therapy has been a client for many years, and we are thrilled to have partnered with them on the design and development of their website. We worked through the process with them from start to finish, making sure their new website better accomplished their goals.

The design and content of the new site showcases the multitude of services they provide at their many locations across the state, and the back-end content management system we built the site on gives them the power to update their site with just a few clicks!

Check the site out here, and let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

You know you’ve arrived when your work is the subject of an editorial cartoon.  We love The State’s award winning cartoonist, Robert Ariail and encourage him to discover the many hot spots in our great city (in case he really thinks the only thing hot about Columbia is the temperature).

Question. Who is The Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism (MACST)?
Answer. MACST is the parent organization of the Columbia Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, and the Columbia Regional Sports Council.

The Columbia Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau mission is to strengthen the area’s economy by marketing and selling Columbia, its accommodations, restaurants, facilities and attractions as a destination for meetings, conventions, tradeshows, special events and leisure travel.

The Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center mission is to provide a first-class venue offering superior operations management and state-of-the-science amenities for the successful coordination of meetings, conventions, tradeshows, entertainment and other special events utilizing the facility.

The Columbia Regional Sports Council mission is to strengthen the area’s economy by marketing and selling Columbia as a premier destination for sporting events and partnering with local sports organizations to grow and develop existing events.

Q. What is the purpose of the new Columbia marketing campaign?
A. The new campaign’s purpose is to attract more conventions and meetings, sporting events and leisure visitors to our area.

Q. Isn’t it bad to say that Columbia’s hot?
A. Columbia’s heat is legendary and the “Famously Hot” campaign takes that heat and puts a powerful twist on it.  In this campaign, the “hotness” of Columbia refers to our happening nightlife, sizzling cuisine, fiery music and arts scene, and our sultry spirit.  Additionally, our climate is a plus as we are a year-round destination.  Hot also speaks to our progress; we’re moving forward.

Q. How did you develop the new marketing campaign?
A. The Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism partnered with industry and community leaders, individuals who market the area and ADCO, a local strategic, creative and interactive agency to work through a brand identity process.  More than 40 individuals each donated time to this team effort.  Over the course of several meetings, the team examined Columbia’s strengths and weaknesses; determined what sets us apart from the competition; and selected the words that best describe our city.  Working through that process, the team came to consensus on the essence of Columbia’s identity—The New Southern Hot Spot.

Q. How was “Famously Hot” chosen for the new marketing campaign?
A. The team defined Columbia as the new southern hot spot. “Columbia, SC. Famously Hot” rose to the surface as being unique, differentiating and attention grabbing. Competition among destinations for conventions and meetings, sports events and leisure travel is intensely competitive.  To be successful a campaign must cut through the clutter of advertisements.  The goal was to design ads that were cutting-edge and unique. “Columbia, SC. Famously Hot” grabs the reader’s attention, as does the photography that is different from the generic photos that other destinations use in their ads.

Q. Why does the campaign slogan just cite Columbia and not the Midlands region?
A. According to destination branding experts and research conducted by the Destination Marketing Association International, visitors do not distinguish between the city and its suburbs. As Eric La Brecque, a brand expert based in San Francisco, stated, “Political boundaries are irrelevant to tourists.”

Q. Was it a smart investment to spend $75,000 for this campaign?
A. MACST invested in more than a campaign.  “Famously Hot” is the foundation for this campaign that also includes a strategic marketing plan for customer service delivery.  Tourism is a $1 billion industry for the Columbia region and supports 12,000 area jobs that provide services, products and amenities for visitors. Tax paying households save $675 a year due to the economic impact of tourism in the state.  This is an intensely competitive marketplace and for Columbia to be a player, we must break through the clutter with a comprehensive campaign, which will be carried to our target audience through advertising, Web development and direct marketing.

Q. Where does this funding come from?
A. The Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism is a private, not-for-profit corporation funded primarily by revenue generated by visitors through the accommodations tax.

Q. What is behind the design of the “Famously Hot” logo?
A. The goal of the marketing campaign is to create awareness for Columbia, SC as a destination for conventions and meetings, sports events and tourism.  We made the words Columbia, SC prominent in the ad for that reason.  The flames are not just a literal representation of heat, they are also symbolic of the spirit and energy of our community and a metaphor for all we have achieved and are yet to accomplish—a shining beacon for all to see.  The three flames are symbolic of the three components of The Authority (Conventions & Visitors Bureau, Convention Center and Sports Authority) as well as our three rivers.  The colors in the flames move from hot to cool which correspond to the word play used in the campaign—Famously Hot; Surprisingly Cool.

This campaign theme–Famously Hot–will be incorporated into all of the MACST’s marketing efforts, which will target regional and national convention planners, sports event planners and leisure travelers. The campaign theme was selected because it’s unique, differentiating and attention grabbing. It takes Columbia’s legendary heat and puts a powerful twist on it, referring to our happening nightlife, sizzling cuisine, fiery music and arts scene, and our sultry spirit.

All of us at ADCO are so excited to launch this new campaign with MACST, but we want to know what you think! Please comment on this blog entry to give us your thoughts. Also, be sure to check out the exclusive article by The State newspaper.

Mathieu asserts, “Here’s the new reality: Consumers deal with the media onslaught in one of two ways. One, they’re simply tuning out the message–because it’s not the right message, sent at the right time, in the right way. Or two, they’re taking the message and posting it to the social network du jour because it was sent at the right time, in the right way and in a manner that was appropriate to them.”

Translation: Consumers are bombarded with all forms of advertising so they’ve stopped paying attention any time we bombard them with material that is not useful. So rather than trying to dazzle consumers with the next flashy thing, we should be focusing on sending them a useful message that hits them at the right place and time.

What’s Mathieu telling us? We need strategy. Great creative can’t get the job done on it’s own; it needs the guiding hand of strategy to dictate audience, key message, and medium.

In the world of advertising agencies, this is what separates the men from the boys, so to speak. A lot of people can create work that looks good, smells great, and feels wonderful–but doesn’t increase your revenue. Only the best create work that speaks to your audience in a meaningful way–and accomplishes goals.

The next time you’re looking for an agency, don’t just glance at the pretty pictures in the portfolio. Ask for the success stories. Demand to see results from clients who have trusted the agency to combine great creative with well-rounded strategy. Only then can you be sure you’re getting a partner that knows how to communicate with the right people at the right time and place.

That’s actually not a real statistic. I made it up to make a point: numbers are a powerful way to grab attention and add credibility to your claim.

In fact, I just received an email from the Direct Marketing Association with the following quick fact: “Using numbers and statistics to support your claims improves response by an average of 32.9%”

That’s 100% true.

Now, in honor of National Ice Cream Month, see if you can match each ice cream brand with its correct slogan. Correct answers can be found here.

Brand:
Haagen-Dazs
Baskin Robbins
Blue Bell
Bruster’s
Dairy Queen

Slogan:
Treat yourself
We eat all we can and we sell the rest
Something different
Made like no other
31 Flavors