New Look for Palm Beach Kennel Club

The spring brought a rebirth of the marketing image of Palm Beach Kennel Club. Their customers seek exciting entertainment, gaming and dining options. All of this without having to drive over an hour south, or long choppy boat tours for casino style excitement. You can have a great time, win money and prizes, all from the easy comfort of Palm Beach County.

The marketing strategy was to show a more contemporary and exciting option of entertainment at Palm Beach Kennel Club for live action racing, high-stakes poker, exciting simulcast racing and great dining options. With over $150 million paid out to winners last year, including 60 hot poker tables, 185 exciting simulcast races, 133 thrilling live races and 2 fabulous restaurants, the statistical numbers made a compelling message for consumers. BG's team set out to redefine the marketing strategies and consumer impressions, while still delivering the promise of the best destination for racing and gaming entertainment in Palm Beach County. Even with gas prices skyrocketing and rebounding, tourists and local residents needed to rediscover a local option within a reasonable distance for an afternoon or evening out.

We developed a new tagline for Palm Beach Kennel Club, 'More Ways to Win. More Winners. More Fun.', with use of the subheadline: 'Where Winners Play.'

Even with the current economy issues, we were able to produce a :60 TV spot, tourists and newspaper print ads, airport duratran signage, airport baggage animated LCD screens, online banner campaign, plus use of the first LED billboard in Palm Beach County. All delivered on a tight timetable and limited budget due to today's economy.

We at BG pride ourselves on smart media, creative that communicates and targeted to a client needs, budget and demographic.

The 'Economic Realignment' Era

"Recession? Thought about it, and decided not to take part." Sam Walton

As a legend stated: "If you stop advertising a brand which is still in its introductory phase, you will probably kill it... Studies of the last six recessions have demonstrated that companies which do not cut back their advertising budgets achieve greater increases in profits than companies which do cut back." Ogilvy On Advertising, 1983.

"If a company fails to maintain its 'Share of Mind' during an economic downturn, current, and future sales are jeopardized. Maintaining "Share of Mind" costs much less than rebuilding it later on." Hi-Lite Magazine Online, June 2003.

"Make as much noise as possible in dark times. You will be well remembered when it is light again." The Cricket Theory, David Harrell.

"There is ample evidence to support the fact that maintaining or increasing your advertising and marketing investment in slow times is actually more effective than in good or growth periods."

"In times like these, consumers don’t stop spending money. They just spend it more carefully." Marketing in Tough Times, by John Kypriotakis. You can download the PDF click here.

Arthritis Foundation’s Mid-East Florida Chapter’s Arthritis Walk and Dog Walk

Aimee Shaughnessy, our Senior Account Manager is co-chair for The Arthritis Foundation’s Mid-East Florida Chapter’s Arthritis Walk and Dog Walk. The event raises awareness and funds to fight the many forms of arthritis, the nation’s most common cause of disability. It is a tremendous opportunity to help improve the lives of the 46 million men, women and children doctor-diagnosed with arthritis. This is an annual fundraiser that will be held Saturday, November 14, 2009 at John Prince Park in Lake Worth. Registration begins at 8am and the walk starts at 9am. There is no registration fee and there are incentive prizes for money raised. Walkers that raise $100+ will also receive a Walk t-shirt.

At the Event…
• Choose from a three-mile or one-mile walk route
• Write an inspirational message on the Wall of Heroes
• Wear a blue “hero” hat if you have arthritis
• Enjoy the fun, festivities and free health information

You can join Aimee's team, form your own team, sign up as an individual, make a donation, become a sponsor of the event, buy a booth at the event all on our website. They even have a dog honoree for the event....a greyhound with arthritis from Greyhound Pets of America.

If you’d like to join Aimee’s team (Aimee’s Angels) or make a donation on her behalf, click here. You can also checkout their Facebook profile, click here.

An Economic Analogy From the Land of Mickey Mouse

By Amie Mollo, Account Manager

I had the recent privilege of attending the 2009 American Advertising Federation (AAF) 4th District Conference and ADDY Awards at the Marriott Orlando World Center. It was a motivating weekend with an agenda of informative meetings, enlightening keynote speakers and an exciting ADDY awards program. I gained a new appreciation for the AAF and its function on a local, district and national level to benefit the advertising industry.

The speaker I found most interesting was Will Gay, Creative Director at Disney’s Yellow Shoes Creative Group. He offered an inside look at the history of the powerful in-house agency. Gay spoke about creating an experience and the importance of storytelling in Disney advertising. He shared a little of the behind the scenes work in creating the recent Wine festivals at Epcot and the holiday “Paper Wonderland” campaigns. He also shared a little secret to the most productive brainstorming sessions…ping pong!

Of course, the economy was a hot topic. We heard some tips on boosting ad sales in today’s economic crisis. A speaker advised to increase the advertising budget, never decrease it. The following is the perfect analogy to explain the concept. If everyone in a room is talking (advertisers), it is difficult to hear any one person (or advertiser). But if everyone stops talking (advertisers cutting back), then the message of the person who continues talking becomes very clear. So when the competitors get quiet, or stop talking altogether, this is your opportunity to shine. Keep talking and communicating your marketing and advertising messages.