The Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission voted 4-0 at a special meeting Wednesday, Nov. 1, to end its relationship with Paradise Advertising and Marketing at the end of the year and accept a proposal from Madden Media as its new marketing and advertising agency starting Jan. 1.
The vote came a week after the commission heard presentations from Madden, Paradise and Revel Media, all of whom submitted proposals to become the commission’s agency of record.
Many of the comments at the Nov. 1 meeting centered around Paradise’s performance over the past several years, with commission chair Chris Clifton saying that he would choose Madden “after the last year,” of working with Paradise.
“If we could go into executive session, which we can’t, it would be a different conversation,” Clifton said.
Clifton went on to say that it was “very difficult” to get Paradise to make adjustments to its strategy for Eureka Springs.
“I don’t know why, but it was very difficult to get change,” Clifton said. “I’m not used to that. I’ve worked on media campaigns before, with companies I’ve worked for. We’d tell the agencies: ‘Hey, this is what we want to do,’and they did it. And that was not the case a lot of times. Response was very stuck on a specific plan and it was very hard to be agile and adjust and pivot. That’s firsthand feedback.”
City council member Autumn Slane, a former CAPC commissioner, addressed the commission during public comments. During her time as a commissioner, Slane was critical of Paradise and she expressed a similar opinion at the Nov. 1 meeting.
“I of course highly recommend we don’t go back to Paradise, for obvious reasons,” Slane said. “Them not advertising for a portion of the year, really the last portion of the year. So I would love to see somebody that 100 percent wants to advertise January through December.”
During their Oct. 25 presentation, Madden Media representatives noted that although the company is headquartered in Tucson, Ariz., it has staff all over the country — including Arkansas — to give its customers hands-on support at a local level.
Kaylee Champlin, an account specialist for Madden, lives in Berryville and would be the main point of contact if the company was chosen by the CAPC, company representatives said.
At the CAPC’s Nov. 1 meeting, commissioner David Avanzino, who also sits on the city council, said he wanted to “make it clear” that Madden is based in Tucson.
“We had several letters that came in, from stakeholders and non-stakeholders, and they tend to lean in one direction,” Avanzino said, noting that some critics of the commission’s relationship with Paradise emphasize that Paradise is based in Florida.
“I want to make it clear that Madden is based in Tucson,” Avanzino said. “They’re not a local company.
Avanzino also said he had asked Michael Kosowicz, group director at Paradise and a primary point of contact between the company and the CAPC, why he didn’t attend many of the commission’s meetings.
“And the answer I got back was that because he was never invited or that our previous director told him that he wasn’t needed here,” Avanzino said. “So I wanted to clear that up. That was direct from Michael.”
“That was me, moreso than Scott,” Clifton said, referring to former director Scott Bardin, now the CAPC’s interim finance director. “And that came from a lot of the turmoil that was going on when I came on board. They did call and ask me: ‘Should we come in market?’ I’d prefer you didn’t. You can do whatever you want. And the reason was a lot of the turmoil we had had in the past.”
Interim director Mike Maloney, who was hired for the role at the CAPC’s Oct. 25 meeting, said that the size of any account is a determining factor in an ad agency’s dedication to that account.
“What I do see is with an agency that’s been board for a while, and if they have 50 accounts and you’re No. 40 on your list, you may not get everything you want,” Maloney said. “You may get good service periodically, but you may not get the best of the best … I think what I see is an opportunity, quite frankly, to look at another agency to really get you the big bang, the big wow, right out of the box because they’re energetic, they want that challenge, they want to go ahead and dig into what it is that you want. And I think that you give them, really, the ideas and suggestions from the community to let them take it to heart and be able to go and manipulate that. You’ll get the best account service in a hurry.”
Maloney said he’d had a “great conversation” with Kosowicz.
“I think what I saw and what I heard was: ‘We’ll do what you want,’ but on the same token, I don’t know how that internally filters down,” Maloney said. “… But I think what I’m looking at right now is, what’s the freshest approach we can take? How can we jump into the first quarter of 2024, really with all of our cannons firing. And I want to see that, because — and I want to say this in a very pleasant way — I don’t want to be your interim director. I want to be your full-time director, and as a full-time director I want to give it all I can. And I think we need a fresh approach to move into 2024.”
Maloney also said he thought at length about the transition from one agency to another.
“A little bit of me was concerned,” he said. “But on the same token, I also see the opportunity to go ahead and challenge a new agency to start fresh right now or as soon as possible to have that strategy in place when the calendar turns over to Jan. 1, 2024.”
After a bit more discussion, commissioner Steve Holifield, who also sits on the city council, made a motion to choose Madden as the commission’s ad agency beginning Jan. 1. Avanzino seconded the motion and it passed by a unanimous vote of the four commissioners.
Jack Moyer, general manager of the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa and the 1905 Basin Park Hotel, attended the Nov. 1 meeting and commended the commission’s decision. The Crescent and Basin Park are leading collectors of the tourism tax that funds the CAPC.
“It’s gratifying to see the CAPC moving in a positive direction,” Moyer said. “I certainly support its new director, the local approach to social media and a team that respects the collectors. This move to Madden seems to be the right decision and comes with a shift away from administration costs and a focus on advertising and public relations. Madden is a long-term partner to the state of Arkansas and I’m excited to see what they will bring to Eureka Springs.”
Madden Madden emphasized Champlin’s local presence in its submitted presentation and she was among the agency’s representatives during its live presentation.
“Kaylee lives in the neighboring town of Berryville and visits Eureka Springs frequently for the best food and sweetest shops,” Madden’s submitted presentation sys. “While much of her career has been spent marketing in Branson, she is excited to drive traffic to her favorite quirky town in the Ozarks.”
Matthew Clement, a managing partner with Madden, is a native Arkansan and was one of the main presenters during the discussion with the CAPC. Clement’s background includes time with Oaklawn Racing and Casino Resort in Hot Springs before joining the team at Experience Fayetteville.
“It’s always cliche to say it’s a unique place we have here but this is a unique place,” Clement said about Eureka Springs. “This is a marketer’s dream. This is literally any agency’s dream destination to work with. It’s a dream destination because there are so many ways to work with you and be your partner. There are so many directions we could see for growth here. So many different things to explore and do. So literally, when I tell you that we are chomping at the bit … I mean, we’re chomping at the bit to work with you because this is a dream destination for an agency, any agency. So we appreciate that opportunity.”
Madden Media, founded in 1982, has approximately 170 full-time employees, including 68 in the part of the United States that includes Arkansas.
The presentation by Madden focused on the diverse population that is attracted to Eureka Springs and the many directions that could be the focus of marketing campaigns while keeping in mind “resident sentiment.”
“How can we increase resident sentiment in a positive direction?” Clement asked. “How does all of the values-based marketing that we’re going to be doing that’s really on the tactical level, what makes sense for Eureka Springs to drive visitation here, drives economic impact within the community to make sure these small businesses see the lift?
“…You guys are a unique unicorn … you can’t compare to national trends. What we can do is look at Northwest Arkansas and some of the clients that we have access to to see where the trends lie there and see how Eureka Springs can take advantage of some of the things that we’re seeing.”
If chosen, Madden representatives said they would want to meet with the CAPC and stakeholders in the community in the early weeks after a contact is finalized to hear goals and objectives for the city.
Madden’s cost proposal is $1 million total and was broken down into different categories, including $522,00 on media spend, $150,000 on media management and $75,000 on account management and brand photo and video shoot.
“Our fixed-fee pricing model continues to facilitate fantastic working partnerships with our client by eliminating hourly tracking and nickel-and-dime fees,” according to Madden’s proposal. “Invoicing will be monthly during the duration of our contract. All media costs are passed through transparently without any markup or commission.”
PARADISE The focus of Paradise’s presentation was building on what has already been accomplished in the four years the company has worked with Eureka Springs.
“It’s just been a wonderful partnership and I think we’ve really gotten into the groove lately,” Kosowicz said. “I think we really figured out a way to get the work done and to come up with some really great ideas for the year.”
Paradise’s presentation notes all the changes the CAPC has seen with staff and commissioners over the past three years, while still maintaining an increased level of tourism which led to all-time high of tourism tax revenues.
“The results with Paradise yielded significant growth of restaurant and lodging tax revenue of 35.67% and 39.8% respectively,” Paradise’s proposal reads. “And, for 2023, we are on track to have another successful year.
“While we know we only play a part in your success, we are confident that our strategic planning, brand and creative development, social media, public relations and paid media have each played an important role in building a very strong foundation. A foundation that has positioned your destination as readied to achieve even greater success in the years to come.”
While Paradise is based in Florida, the company has typically had staff visit Eureka Springs a handful of times throughout the year. They would consider having an employee live in the area if a contract is renewed, Rudy Webb, president of the company, told CAPC members.
“We need to make sure that it makes sense from the agency’s perspective in order to have an individual, an office space, all of that,” Webb said. “… We would absolutely be more than open to talking about that relationship for sure.”
Tom Merrick, Paradise’s chief creative officer, said his team not living in the area can be a positive.
“I think being from a different place enables us to tell it from fresh set of eyes, a new perspective,” Merrick said. “We come in and we experience it. Like a visitor would. So, you know, our eyes open when we see the Flatiron Building. We feel exactly like like an outsider would, like a visitor would. And I think that’s what enables me and my team to put together creative executions that really resonate with potential visitors because we know what they’re looking for and we’re able to tell it in a way that is powerful. If you’re close to it every day I don’t know if you can do that as well.”
REVEL MEDIA Representatives of Revel Media, a regional agency based in Springfield, relayed to commissioners that while they may be a smaller agency they have the tools that could benefit Eureka Springs.
“We have worked with numerous hospitality, travel and tourism brands and have a working knowledge of your target audience,” according to Revel’s proposal. “Our extensive working knowledge of destination marketing organizations gives us the ability to help you maximize internal resource.”
Revel’s proximity to Eureka Springs would be a benefit, according to its proposal.
“We are based in the Ozarks, just like you,” the proposal reads. “Located right up the road in Springfield … we have a team full of regional travelers with lived experiences on what makes your destination authentically unique.”
Representatives from Revel used examples of campaigns it has organized with Wonders of Wildlife aquarium in Springfield while also showcasing partnerships with Missouri State University and the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.
