The city is working with Fahrenheit Creative Group to create a new marketing plan to highlight Jackson's positive aspects. Photo by Trip Burns.
JACKSON — The City with Soul may soon get a fresh advertising campaign. Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. has asked the Jackson City Council to approve a deal with Fahrenheit Creative Group to create a new marketing plan for Jackson.
After the council's work session Monday, Johnson said that the deal was not for the actual marketing campaign, only the plan for a campaign. The purpose, he said, is to accentuate the positives in the city.
"There are a lot of good things that are going on here in the city of Jackson. Too often, those things get buried by some of the challenges that we have," Johnson said.
"So what we're trying to do is create a strategy that will brand the city based on positive experiences, not just for our citizens, but for visitors as well."
If the city council approves the deal, which is on the agenda, at its regular session July 24, Fahrenheit Creative Group will take the lead on the marketing plan.
Olivia Thomas and Jason Thompson head Fahrenheit Creative Group, located at 921 N. Congress St. The two started the company in 2011 and have created marketing plans for the state Head Start Association and Jackson State University. This will be the company's first project for a municipality, but Thomas is not a stranger to such endeavors. Before starting Fahrenheit Creative, though, she worked for Quicksilver Creative, where she helped create Jackson's Go 80 campaign to help revitalize the Highway 80 corridor.
Thompson said he and Thomas have been talking with Anthony Dean, the city's director of marketing, for a couple of weeks about the plan. He said the plan will use traditional ad venues, such as television and print media, combined with non-traditional advertising, including the Internet and smart phones, to show the positive sides of Jackson.
The best way to market the Jackson's positives, Thompson said, is to allow the people who live here to tell their stories.
"We want to be able to touch every citizen in Jackson and anyone who would find the story of Jackson interesting. I think that's everyone in the country and across the world," Thompson said.
At the work session, Dean said that it is no secret Jackson gets its share of negative criticism. The goal of the marketing plan is to get Jacksonians and people from around the state excited about eating, shopping and living in the capital city.
Johnson said he wants to see the city's distinctions highlighted in the marketing.
"When people start thinking about the city of Jackson, what is foremost in their mind are all of these positive things that we have: the attractions, the cultural diversity, being the state capital, being the hub of finance and medical facilities, and that kind of thing," Johnson said.
The deal on the table for Fahrenheit Creative Group is worth $45,000. Ward 1 Councilman Quentin Whitwell said during the meeting that the city won't be doing a lot of marketing with that amount of money, but Johnson said that the deal is for the group's professional expertise in creating a plan, not an entire marketing campaign, which would include creative services and media placement costs.
"We need to make sure we know exactly what services are offered," Whitwell said.
Johnson said the focus of the plan is for marketing in the Jackson metro area. The city will talk with the Convention and Visitors Bureau about using their resources to implement the campaign within a 100-mile radius of the city.
Separate from the new marketing plan, the city will soon broadcast a television commercial in 20 markets across the southeastern U.S. aimed at promoting tourism to Jackson.
Thompson said it is time for Jackson to have a full-scale marketing plan, especially with similar plans popping up in towns like Madison recently.
"The support is there with the administration, and citizens are ready for something," Thompson said.
Councilman Charles Tillman, Ward 5, and Council President Tony Yarber, Ward 6, said at the meeting that they, too, are ready to see Jackson cast in a better light.
"I'm excited about us even looking at a marketing campaign," Yarber said. "I find it absolutely hilarious that I can watch TV and see commercials about Madison and everybody else, and as soon as we start talking about doing a marketing piece, then people are commenting (negatively). It's hilarious."
Update:
The City Council voted 5-1 Tuesday to approve the $45,000 deal with Fahrenheit Creative Group. Ward 3 Councilwoman LaRita Cooper-Stokes was the only dissenting vote. Ward 2 Councilman Chokwe Lumumba was absent from the meeting.
Comments
mscbo39 10 months ago
... Johnson said that the deal was not for the actual marketing campaign, only the plan for a campaign.
Suggestion: Make urgent progress on the Hwy 80 revitalization plan, try bringing the water infrastructure bond decision to voters for approval so the city can begin digging dirt and replacing pipe, if you want to revitalize Metro Center don't forget that city office space needs computer cabling .... A theme "good things happen in Jackson all the time" would take care of the city's image.
Knowledge06 10 months ago
The infrastructure bond decision shouldn't be brought to voters until the requirement for an 'outside committee' to oversee the funds is removed. As a tax paying Jackson resident, I wouldn't vote for a bond that has that requirement attached to it and would urge others not to also. No other municipality in this state has any stipulation like that attached and simply put it's an insult to the residents of Jackson. There have been NO financial improprieties noted regarding the City of Jackson using specific use funds for any other purpose other than what they have been intended. So no VALID rationale for the commission.
goldeneagle97 10 months ago
I wholeheartedly agree. People in Jonestown or Jayess wouldn't be subjected to such a stipulation. Imagine the outcry if Pearl, Pelahatchie or Picayune had to do this. But it's Jackson and the legislature for years have tried to hamstring us for such a long time. We shouldn't be subjected to different rules that aren't required for everyone else.
djschwin 10 months ago
Was this project put out for bid?
donnaladd 10 months ago
We'll find out, D. Meantime, I was also a bit surprised to hear that Anthony Dean had landed at the city. This story was fill of interesting bits.
djschwin 10 months ago
Thanks! For both selfish and community reasons I'd love for Creative Distillery to have an opportunity to be involved with this type of work.
Knowledge06 10 months ago
If you're talking about the contract for those professional services, there is no requirement to bid them.
ReekoQuaggaIII 10 months ago
How are you going to Market a city like Gotham? You first need to get it back to the Jackson I know. And yes, there other surrounding cities are flourishing in the demise of Gotham. The Capital CIty doesn't even have a Mall, no movie theatre or nothing for the Children to do. How the heck are you going to Market that? You've sat and argues on progress, I've seen the Circus on Public Access and nothing comes away but negative views or lop-sided votes. There is nothing here but crime - poor education- drugs and a system that has forgotten that it's the people that make the CIty, not the elected officials who make the choices. Stokes is a prime example of where this City is going. The bed-fellow of the prior seat holder? Where is change in that? New leadership in the form of younger more educated to the times individuals with the people of this City first, that's what "We" need. Gotham is.. Just what the people sit around and let it by not taking a stand to change it.
by ReekoQuaggaIII
Trent 10 months ago
If there is ever a costumed vigilante parading around Jackson/Gotham with bad grammar and poor insight we can just come find Reeko; he'll likely be at Northpark Mall.
goldeneagle97 10 months ago
There are museums, a planetarium, a state park, city parks, the old Capitol, a zoo, Fondren...there's many things we have here that other places in the metro or state don't have. Do you live here or are you a suburbanite that just wants to dump on the city?
jacobfuller 10 months ago
Gotham, really? I must have missed the point when Jackson became just like a fictional city of millions of people at the world's economic center, which is based on New York. Next, how can we "get BACK to the Jackson" you know, while at the same time progressing? And there is far more to Jackson than crime, poor education, drugs and a system that has forgotten the people. There is a growing creative, artistic, young generation; there are entertainment, retail and housing developments in the works; there is good education (public schools aren't the only educators out there); and way too many other positives to mention here. Reeko, your comment reeks of contradiction and complaint. How can you get upset when someone wants to help re-brand the city and take the focus off the exact things you say are all we have?
P.S. - Malls are a dying breed everywhere, not just here, and have been for well over a decade. If that's how you want to spend your time, we still have a McDonald's and an Old Navy, you'll just have to drive between them. Feel free to bring along a Walkman with a Tiffany cassette to complete the atmosphere.
robbier 10 months ago
The Renaissance is sure struggling. And the new group of outlets going to be built in Pearl looks like it's dead in the water. Amirite?
sarahmina 10 months ago
Let the marketing firm FIRST give a proposal to the city showing what kind of ideas they have, otherwise we have a sweetheart deal and someone has gotten "paid" Before We see the quality of the product.
Belvedere 10 months ago
Somewhere on Fortification Street, a pothole patch is missing $45,000.
MarkM 10 months ago
I've said this before, but I think a good angle might be something like the one city of Philadelphia (PA, that is) used a few years ago. Their slogan was "Philly's more fun when you sleep over." The campaign was targeted at people who live within 150 miles or so of the city, who often came to the metro area to shop or do other business anyway, and was aimed at (obviously) getting them to stay overnight and have some fun instead of coming and returning the same day. It was a big success, based on hotel business, which shot up after the campaign started. You can see the commercial for yourself here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHUz2w0QEK4
I think this approach might work well for Jackson because lots of people from around Mississippi often come to Jackson for business or shopping. Since they're coming anyway, why not try to get them to stay a little longer and enjoy all Jackson has to offer?
MarkM 9 months, 4 weeks ago
I've said this before, but I think a good approach might be the one Philadelphia (PA, that is) used a few years ago. Their slogan was "Philly's more fun when you sleep over." The campaign was targeted at people who lived within a day's travel or so of the city, people who often come to the city anyway to shop or to do business, and was aimed at convincing them to stay overnight (obviously) and have some fun instead of coming and going home the same day. You can see the TV commercial on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHUz2w...]
The campaign was very successful, and resulted in significant increases in hotel business in the city. I think a campaign like this might work for Jackson, because people from all over Mississippi come to Jackson regularly to shop and do other business. Convincing them to stay a little longer and enjoy all Jackson has to offer might be a good bit easier than trying to draw people who wouldn't be coming to the city at all to make a special trip out of their way.
goldeneagle97 9 months, 4 weeks ago
I'd love for the city to market itself. I know some--particularly those who live outside Jackson-- will say the negative things like Reeko said above, but critics be damned. Memphis and New Orleans market themselves very well, despite the fact that crime in both cities make Jackson look like a Sunday picnic. Granted, we don't have as many major attractions as the two cities do, but it doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to accentuate the good things we have here. I mentioned the museums and the state park we have here. We should also market the fact the our St. Paddy's Day parade has grown to be one of the largest in the country.
Like I said, outsiders will try and say that it won't work because of problems such as crime and infrastructure, but we can't just sit by and wait for something to fall out of the sky. Those other cities attract people because they decided to use what they had and became aggressive with it. Rather than competing with Pearl and Ridgeland, we need to compete with Memphis, New Orleans, Atlanta and anybody else.
MarkM 9 months, 4 weeks ago
Let's see . . . take the kids to the Museum of Natural Science in the morning, take them to lunch at Sal and Mookies, and then visit the Mississippi Children's Museum in the afternoon, and you've got a great outing for a family. Jackson has plenty of attractions, and like you say, it needs to just market them well.
I think some people misunderstand and think that Jackson is trying to get people to spend a week's vacation here instead of going to the Grand Canyon or something like that. Jackson doesn't have to do that. It can just tap into the market for short day and overnight trips by people who live close by, and are probably already coming to Jackson for other reasons (as I said earlier). That's a big market, and it shouldn't be underestimated.
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