'Selling Detroit': New ad contest . . . and we'll get to vote

NY Times article today previews a Time, Inc. competition involving 5 local ad shops.

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The initiative to help change what may be the most dire urban image in America is being sponsored by Time Inc. as part of a yearlong project, Assignment Detroit, that involves reporters and editors from Essence, Fortune, Money, Sports Illustrated, Time and related Web sites.

Several advertising agencies with offices in the Detroit area were asked to develop campaigns; five agreed to take part. Their work is to appear in the Dec. 7 issue of Fortune, due Nov. 23, as well as on three Web sites: cnnmoney.com, fortune.com and time.com.

. . . Visitors to the Web sites will be able to vote, beginning on Monday [NOV. 23], for their favorite among the five campaigns. The winner is to be announced on Dec. 2, during an annual awards ceremony in Detroit known as the D Show.

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A cool video entry from Campbell-Ewald in Warren features DJ Ro Spit, owner of Burn Rubber in Royal Oak.

Entries also will include new Web sites, blogs, mock postcards and cellphone apps. One agency recruited Kid Rock for its campaign.

Here's what a Time exec says:

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“The whole idea of the contest is that we believe in the renewal of the city. I don’t pretend to have the answer to solve the problem. You have to expect it’ll take many, many years to recover. But a lot of smart people are committed to bringing the city back. We’ll do our part.�

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I think this contest is a great idea. I looked at the Ro Spit video with an open mind as I wanted to see if it was something that would inspire me to move to Detroit.

First, I think wearing a tee shirt with Samuel Colt on it in one of the most violent cities in the country automatically sends the wrong message. The fist statue in downtown still effects me as a symbol of violence even though I know it is a Joe Louis tribute. Would this video inspire me to move? Don't think so.

In defense of Joe Louis, my father always said he was the greatest fighter of all time and would of defeated Mohammed Ali, in his opinion. I think a statue of Louis in a boxer's stance would've been much better.

Interesting. I wish that the contest was open to agencies outside of the Detroit area as well.

There is an irony that while the contest isn't open to any ad agencies outside of the Detroit area, none of the major ad agencies in the Detroit area have offices in Detroit. Yet they are all tasked with selling the city.

You can view the entries at the Time's blog. They range from terrible [[see #1 and #3) to pretty good [[especially #4 and #5). Personally, I kind of like the fifth one. Each letter in Detroit is spelled out with a list of cool things about the area. I just wish the list were longer and that they had had the good sense to start each letter with a different item. As it is, it's obvious the list just repeats itself endlessly.

http://detroit.blogs.time.com/2009/11/15/why-detroit/

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Originally Posted by Cooper

You can view the entries at the Time's blog. They range from terrible [[see #1 and #3) to pretty good [[especially #4 and #5). Personally, I kind of like the fifth one. Each letter in Detroit is spelled out with a list of cool things about the area. I just wish the list were longer and that they had had the good sense to start each letter with a different item. As it is, it's obvious the list just repeats itself endlessly.

http://detroit.blogs.time.com/2009/11/15/why-detroit/

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4 and 5 only. The rest are a waste of time. And yes, they could have changed the order of things, or included more in 5.

Here is the full press release:

As you know, Time Inc. is living and reporting from the city of Detroit for the next year for “Assignment Detroit.” As part of that commitment, our sales division decided to get in on the action and has today launched “Selling Detroit,” a contest among local advertising agencies to create a new ad campaign for the city.

The challenge: design an iconic advertising campaign aimed at young, college grads who have the world open to him or her. Why should she or he move to Detroit? The agencies were tasked with focusing especially on creative personalities – artists, musicians, designers. Readers of TIME, Fortune and CNNMoney will vote on their favorite ad, and the winner will be announced at The D Awards, the advertising industry’s annual gathering in Detroit, on December 2. All of the creative designs will be donated to the city for use as it sees fit.

The resulting five ads—from McCann, GlobalHue, Campbell Ewald, Doner, and Leo Burnett—will run in the pages of the next issue of FORTUNE, on sale Monday, November 23, and are available for voting starting today on CNNMoney.com, Time.com and Fortune.com.

Readers can vote here: http://money.cnn.com/news/storysuppl...oll/index.html

The New York Times broke the story of the contest today: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/bu...2&ref=business

Best,

Jill


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Jill Watanabe
Public Relations
TIME|FORTUNE|MONEY|CNNMONEY
1271 Avenue of the Americas

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Originally Posted by PeachLaser

I think a statue of Louis in a boxer's stance would've been much better.

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There's already one in Joe Louis Arena.

One shift added to an assembly line [[autoworkers = job multiplier of 8) would have a better net overall effect than these ads and the few they'll attract [[job multiplier of...2...maybe?). These people who don't understand manufacturing don't seem to understand job multipliers and that jobs don't replace each other one to one. Auto manufacturing has a multiplier of eight, the financial sector has a multiplier of two - for every one autoworker gone four financial sector jobs would have to be created to keep the job level numbers equal - that's why Michigan gets hammered so hard in downturns - manufacturing jobs support a lot more related jobs than other sector jobs do. Manufacturing supports an entire chain, from raw materials extraction and processing, through product design and assembly, to retail sales and service, along with all the necessary transportation and financial requirements along the way. Auto manufacturing is the peak of the manufacturing sector, due to the product size and complexity. That's why re-establishing and maintaining a healthy manufacturing sector is paramount to the economic health of the US and also why so many emerging economies strive to establish their own auto manufacturing industries.

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Originally Posted by lilpup

There's already one in Joe Louis Arena.

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Throw the fist into the Detroit River then. Make it a mooring spot for a boat. : )

Please put your vote in for #5, McCann Erickson's entry for www.CreativityLivesInDetroit.com. The very hard-working staff there is tuning in to the real pulse of Detroit with their lists of attractions -- you will not see the usual businesses on this list, but rather those more 'underground' things that really make Detroit move. And they are allowing Detroiters to add entries themselves. The website will be very interactive and intriguing. Thanks!