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Howard County (Map, News) - Client: Nine sponsoring Howard County employers: Ascend One, Baltimore Aircoil, Enterprise Community Partners, Healthways, Howard County General Hospital, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Micros, Nemetschek and Verizon Wireless.
Job: To promote Howard County as a place where individuals can both live and work
Agency: Howard County Economic Development Authority
Theme: “Get Your Life Back”
The Concept: Concerns of a labor shortage prompted the authority to create a radio-based ad campaign urging individuals to consider working in Howard County rather than commuting to D.C. or Baltimore.
The group found that 100,000 Howard County residents currently commute out of the area to work.
The Plan: About 1,500 spots will air on radio stations in Baltimore and D.C., which reach a demographic between ages 25 and 40.
The spots were funded by nine employers that are featured on a job-listings Web site, howardjobs.com, which the radio ads urge listeners to visit.
The spots emphasize the opportunities in the region as well as the time saved, which could be spent with a person’s family instead.
Radio was chosen as the medium because it would reach the most commuters.
Many ads are being played in sponsorship with or adjacent to traffic reports.
Ellicott City-based advertising agency The Caplan Group provided a new home page for the Howard Jobs Web site pro bono.
Creative Team: Alice Settle-Raskin (communications manager), Richard Story (chief executive officer)
Background: The Howard County Economic Development Authority is a privatized county agency that helps businesses with land and building selection, financing, recruitment, training and other support.
Working on Next: The group plans to spend approximately $100,000 on a different Howard-themed marketing strategy in the upcoming months.
melissa.frederick@dcexaminer.com
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Examiner Reader said:
Why is this PR piece considered news? Its free advertising and just plain lazy on the Examiner's part.
98 agree | 85 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Get some of the crime issue solved too
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Examiner Reader said:
China needs to do more to promote the Olympics. All this talk about toys. I am glad that someone is finally promoting travel to China. I have been there twice and loved it. Great job, guys.
352 agree | 261 disagree
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Jay Dasker said:
Very nicely done! There is not a lot of agencies that have a beautiful and fresh looking web site like yours. Kudos to your team! Jay
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Examiner Reader said:
“We want to sound the alarm that AIDS is a serious problem,” said Rebkha Atnafou, director of The After-School Institute. “We need to stress the gravity of this situation.” I pray you can get SOMEONE to SOUND THE ALARM! We hear hours of babble on the media about bird flu, one or two people with TB, etc. but hardly ever hear about HIV/AIDS. The government as usual thinks it can be solved by throwing money at it. Someone said, The more we treat it, the more we will have to treat. Money will not wipe out AIDS....treatment will not wipe out AIDS. A monumental change in behavior is the only answer.
642 agree | 428 disagree
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THE Examiner Reader said:
Very well done, my cellphone rang when I was in a meeting, and it was Chris Angel! I couldn't quite believe it! I was smiling all day! Kudos to youdos EVB, infact, I'll go one better, EVB= Everyone's Very Brilliant!
558 agree | 424 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This is a laugh. This event was poorly marketed. I tried and tried to find some mention as to whether this event was taking place in 2007, but with no avail. There is nothing on the World Wide Web, including on the link that is mentioned in the article. I work in the area around Woodrow Wilson Plaza and have not seen any posters, brochures,, etc. Also, I am on the email list from past years and have not received any notice at all. This article is the first I have seen mention of the event.
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Examiner Reader said:
uh, folks the "spot" is at the top...duh!
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Examiner Reader said:
Why aren't we able to view the spot? Get with it Examiner!
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Examiner Reader said:
nice stuff! great campaign.
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Examiner Reader said:
hog wash!
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