Contact:
Lisa Bynum, Public Relations Manager
lbynum@godwin.com
601.360.9481

GodwinGroup Wins Two PRISMs at Regional Public Relations Competition

Agency Recognized for Tribute to Former First Lady, Interactive Media Campaign

JACKSON, Miss. (May 03, 2012) – GodwinGroup, an integrated marketing, advertising, and digital communications firm, captured two PRISM awards at the Public Relations Association of Mississippi (PRAM) annual state conference in Columbus. The agency was recognized for work in Broadcast Production: Internal Video and Interactive Media. A PRISM is the highest honor that can be received in a category.

Broadcast Production received an award for its video tribute to former first lady Marsha Barbour, which premiered during the opening ceremonies at the Responder Academy Conference in Biloxi last year. The video focused on Ms. Barbour's service during many of the declared state of emergencies that occurred during Governor Barbour's term, including The Great Flood of 2011; a string of deadly tornadoes that swept across the state, also in 2011; and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the greatest natural disaster in recent American history.

Interactive Media was also recognized for a digital media campaign launched on behalf of the University of Southern Mississippi. The campaign included search engine optimization of the university's website, contextual marketing, and social media advertising.

"PR does not just stand for 'press release.' It is a multi-faceted discipline," said Philip Shirley, GodwinGroup's chairman and chief executive officer. "Our priority as an agency is to deliver compelling and creative work that solves the challenges presented to us by our clients. To be recognized for these efforts is very rewarding."

PRAM consists of approximately 600 public relations professionals from advertising and public relations agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations, government, education, industries and others. The PRISM awards began in 2003 as a way to honor and recognize outstanding work in the field of public relations by professionals within the state of Mississippi. The awards are judged by professionals outside the geographical boundaries of the Southern Public Relations Federation -- Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana.

GodwinGroup, founded in 1937, is headquartered in Jackson, with offices on the Gulf Coast. It serves clients nationwide, primarily in healthcare, banking, finance and insurance, utilities, tourism, manufacturing, food and consumer goods. The agency has been recognized numerous times among the nation's leading agencies as measured in revenues by Ad Age and AdWeek. GodwinGroup provides branding, advertising and reputation management services, as well as web marketing services through its digital arm WebMetro/Godwin.

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• A guys' golfing/fishing trip
• A girls' getaway
• A family trip

The campaign will use candid imagery, much like photography and video footage taken by paparazzi who document the lives and adventures of Hollywood celebrities. The photo and video shoot is taking place across the Mississippi Gulf Coast over the course of a week. A variety of Coast activities, including local tourist attractions and businesses, will be featured—casinos, restaurants, bed and breakfast accommodations, museums, retail outlets, golfing, beaches and other natural attractions. 

One of GodwinGroup's creative directors working on the campaign reports that they have had some "remarkable shoot" days:

We met the day with a torrential downpour, but once we arrived at our beach location in Pass Christian, the sun was peeking over the storm clouds, and it was sunny the rest of the day.

 Below are photos of the Pass Christian beach shoot of some "family trip" scenes and a photo of a "guys' golf trip" scene. 

Click here to read the press release about the Trip Report campaign being produced by GodwinGroup for travel and tourism marketing client Gulf Coast Regional Tourism Partnership.

From the week-long film and photography project, three key "trips" will be featured throughout the campaign:

• Guys' golfing/fishing trip
• Girls' getaway 
• A family vacation

Three 30-second television ads will air in eight key regional markets over the course of four to seven weeks:

• Atlanta, GA
• Baton Rouge, LA
• Birmingham, AL
• Houston, TX
• Jackson, MS
• Mobile, AL/Pensacola, FL
• Montgomery, AL
• New Orleans, LA

Twelve different print ads will be developed and are scheduled to run in 23 key regional and major national publications, including:

• Food Network Magazine
• Southern Living
• Better Homes & Garden
• More Magazine
• Ladies Home Journal
• Frommer's Budget Travel
• Coastal Living

Thirty online ads will promote the Mississippi Gulf Coast through the Tourism Partnership's robust online and digital advertising plan.

The Trip Report tourism campaign will not compete with an existing advertising campaign of the Harrison County Tourism Commission (HCTC). GodwinGroup worked closely with the HCTC agency-of-record to ensure that Trip Report advertising does not run at the same time as HCTC advertising and, instead, compliments the Tourism Commission's marketing plan to spread the message of the Mississippi Gulf Coast even further.

The Gulf Coast Regional Tourism Partnership (GCRTP) is a non-profit entity formed to administer $16 million in tourism marketing and grant funding from BP America. The Partnership Board is comprised of business, tourism and community leaders from across the three counties that make up the Mississippi Gulf Coast—Jackson, Harrison and Hancock Counties—and is charged with promoting the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast as a single tourism destination.

For more information, contact: 
Kay Maghan
kmaghan@godwin.com
228.388.8511

Click here to read a GodwinBlog post featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the on-location photo and video shoot.

The American Advertising Federation Mississippi Gulf Coast recently announced the winners of the annual Addy Awards competition honoring creative excellence in advertising.

[...]

How Robinson with Beau Rivage Resort & Casino was named Art Director of the Year and Jessica Russell with GodwinGroup was named Copywriter of the Year.

[...]

LOCAL ONLY CATEGORIES

E-Team Energy Efficiency Radio Spot, GodwinGroup for Mississippi Power

[...]

CONSUMER OR TRADE PUBLICATION

Hancock Bank Freedom Riders 50th, GodwinGroup for Hancock Bank

Mississippi Power Freedom Riders Ad, GodwinGroup for Mississippi Power

Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/17/3824929/ad-creativity-wins-awards.html#storylink=cpy.

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That's not to say that we don't have our great days and moments. We do. Lots of them. When a client calls to say the phone is ringing from a new TV spot or website visits are skyrocketing since the online ads broke, we celebrate. When a company starts expanding and adding jobs, we celebrate. When we hear someone quote from our ad campaign ("I'm not your mama."), we celebrate. And when I hear of how much these folks put into their jobs, I celebrate.

I'll tell you right up front, this story is personal and maybe will sound self-serving to GodwinGroup. But I promise it's not meant to be. It's a story of personal sacrifice to achieve client success and an inspiring set of actions that deserves to be told. It's a reminder of why we often say It's great to be Godwin.

Today, I'm celebrating what I consider the day-to-day heroics of a team of four women to help a client with a small budget shoot for a big victory, despite some personal obstacles along the way. This story involved a small hospital in Kosciusko, Mississippi, called Montfort Jones Memorial Hospital. The hospital wanted to announce its new Emergency Department and a few other advancements. The budget was far from extravagant, but a small team of three people in our Creative Department said We can do this. Let us figure it out.

The objective was to produce a series of three radio spots and three print ads, with original photography of doctors and patients. Brand manager Tobi Miller worked with the hospital CEO to arrange the shoot, which was scheduled to start soon after sunup to achieve the lighting that would help restricted-budget photography look good. Jessica Russell was the copywriter, Megan Harris art directed, and Cheri Magee—usually a graphic artist—agreed to wear her photographer hat this day.

No problem. Everything was set. The group would assemble in Jackson at 4 a.m. for the ninety-minute drive and be ready to shoot after sunrise.

That's when things began to unravel. First, Cheri's father has open heart surgery the day prior to the event. Jessica had an issue with her eye that required constant eye drops to be applied, which ran out around 3:30 a.m., and Megan got a migraine that should have prevented her from being in a car due to nausea. Everyone had a valid reason to say they couldn't make it.

But no one dropped out. The group kept communicating as the night went on. Jessica had someone go out in the wee hours to get more eye drops. When Megan couldn't go any more on the trip up, they stopped the car. Cheri worked out how to stay in touch. They were on a mission.

In the end, things worked out. Another day in the advertising world. Another reason I'm excited to come to work every day.

The fruits of their dedication, skill, and hard work are below. Have a look, and let us know what you think.

Montfort Jones Memorial Hospital logo, designed by Cheri Magee. Click the logo to visit the Montfort Jones Memorial Hospital microsite, designed by GodwinGroup.

Three 30-second local radio spots:

                                                               
"Montfort Jones community member Katherine Carr Esters and Montfort Jones Director of Emergency Services Dr. Brady Richardson." 

"Montfort Jones LPN and community member Gloria Cain and Montfort Jones Director of Emergency Services Dr. Brady Richardson."

           
"Montfort Jones Senior Care volunteer and community member Marie Harmon and Montfort Jones staff physican Dr. Tim Alford."

Print ads:

GodwinGroup copywriter Jessica Russell was named AFF Gulf Coast Copywriter of the Year, a well-deserved recognition for all the great work Jessica does for award-winning clients such as Mississippi Power and Hancock Bank. Jessica wrote the Gold ADDY Award-winning "Freedom Riders" ad for Mississippi Power, pictured below.

GOLD ADDY
Mississippi Power - "E-Team" Energy Efficiency Radio Spot, "Didn't Fly" Radio Category 

Mississippi Power -  Mississippi Power Freedom Riders Ad, Consumer/Trade, full-page color

GOLD ADDY
Hancock Bank - Hancock Bank Freedom Riders 50th Anniversary Ad, Consumer/Trade, full-page color

SILVER ADDY
Mississippi Power - Energy Efficiency Online Campaign, Interactive Media Online Campaign
Mississippi Power - "E-Team" Energy Efficiency Campaign, "Didn't Fly" Campaign Category

Gulf Coast Regional Tourism Partnership - "Leave Your Winter Coat at Home" Times Square Ad; Outdoor Board, Digital, or Animated

SILVER ADDY
GodwinGroup - GodwinGroup Gulf Coast Open House Invitation, Self-promotion

Congratulations to all GodwinGroup employees and clients. These awards are well-deserved recognition for the great work we do together for our beautiful Gulf Coast!

But on Wednesday February 29, 2012, Facebook rolled out the new timeline feature for its business pages. The new timeline will be pushed live to everyone on March 30, but for now, you have some time to preview the new look and review your page before the changes take effect. You can also switch between the new and old page design before March 30, but don't get attached to the old layout—come April, it will be history.

The new timeline is more visually engaging and makes room for exhibiting greater brand creativity. It merges the profile and wall of your Facebook page into one and allows users to easily navigate through previous posts. Providing users with a more personable social experience seems to be the main goal behind the new timeline.

Facebook users are still not so much in love with their personal Facebook profiles upgrading to the new timelines (many threatened to move to rival network Google+ and never look back), but perhaps the new features will entice them to stay after all...

What has changed:

• The cover photo is the first thing people will see when they visit your new timeline. Change it often, play with it, and channel your inner artist.
• Cover images must be at least 399 pixels wide and may not contain:
  • Price or purchase information, such as discount offers or coupons.
  • Contact information, such as Web address, email addresses, mailing address, or other information intended for your page's About section.
  • References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share or any other Facebook site features.
  • Calls to action, such as "Get it now," "Tell your friends," or "Download from our site!"
  • All cover images are public, which means anyone visiting your page will be able to see the image you choose.
• Profile picture dimensions have changed. Choose an image that's square and at least 180 pixels wide.
• Your wall and profile will merge into a single element.
• Tabs have been removed. So your blog tab, contest tab, etc. have all been made into boxes at the top of your profile.
• Highlight what's important—photos, likes, and apps are now in boxes at the top of your page, so you must be selective in deciding what's most important. 
  • Photos show in the first spot, but you can change the order of everything else so people see what matters most. 
  • You can show a maximum number of 12 apps, so make sure to put your most important ones first. The first four will be boxes visible at the top of the page, while the remaining eight boxes will reside in a drop down menu.
• The new timeline takes a page from Google and Pinterest—it is going for the organic, visually stimulating approach. 
  • Content that is fresh and relevant can be "pinned" (sound familiar?) to the top of the timeline. A pinned update stays at the top for seven days; afterwards, it can be re-pinned.
  • You can highlight a story (select the star icon on the post) to visually inform the user that the brand considers this story to be the most relevant.
• You can no longer have a default landing page or fan gate for your fans. A user is automatically taken to your wall.
• The position of the Like button has changed, so if your image contains an arrow pointing to the Like button, it may need to be updated. However, keep in mind Facebook's ban on calls to action in cover images.

What really works for the new timeline?

• Facebook admins and social media managers—sit back and relax a little. The new admin panel at the top of a business page (only visible to admins) offers a quick vignette into the health of your Facebook account (new likes, page insights, fan activities, and more). No more multiple clicks needed to get to your Facebook Insights!
• One of our favorite features is being able to chronicle company events from the days of yore to the present. Timeline provides a walk down memory lane, marking the important milestones and achievements of a company—especially useful for an advertising agency celebrating 75 years in business.
  • If your page represents a company with a particularly long history, good news: Facebook timeline lets you fill in your brand's history all the way back to the year 1000!
  • The timeline layout makes it much easier to navigate previous posts, so if your company history does stretch for hundress of years, your fans and visitors will be able to zoom through time with just a click or two.
• Ever felt the need to communicate something privately to an organization via Facebook but did not want to post your message on their wall? Users can now send private messages to company Facebook pages. These messages will be seen in the new admin panel.
  • However, Facebook brand pages can not send messages to users. Brand pages can reply to a message, but cannot initiate a discussion. Nor can brand pages send messages to other business pages.
• Newsfeed remains dominant. With Facebook's sharpened Edge Rank algorithm, engaging, original, and potent content will rule a user's newsfeed. This skill is where most brand pages will fail, and only a few will play the game right. (More on that challenge in another blog post.)

My momma always says make a good first impression, and now Facebook's new timeline encourages everyone to do just that. How do you feel about Facebook's latest update? What features have made a good impression on you?

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