MINNEAPOLIS: Two firms are left in competition for a Minnesota
Department of Health two-year, $14 million anti-tobacco
advertising and PR campaign.
A winner will likely be announced before Thanksgiving.
Clarity Coverdale Fury and Gabriel deGrood Bendt are finalists for the
assignment. Incumbent firm Weber Shandwick was a semifinalist, but was
not selected for final consideration. Other semifinalists were
Periscope, a marketing communications agency, and Colle & McVoy.
Minnesota's youth anti-tobacco program is called Target Market. It had
worked with Weber the past two years to build awareness for its brand
and to recruit teens for grassroots anti-smoking efforts. Marketing
spending on the program to date has been about 60% for advertising and
40% for PR, but the mix will likely change to slightly more advertising
over the next two years, said Michele Vig, marketing director.
PR's role will shift to more grassroots efforts and away from supporting
major events, she said. "We need to concentrate on finessing the brand
image. We want to reach at-risk kids," Vig said.
Even with less PR though, spending on PR will still be about 30% of the
$6-$7 million annual marketing budget, or about $2
million, Vig said.
The assignment begins January 1, and runs for two years.
