What was the scope of their involvement?
We first had to identify a communications strategy and better define the voice of our organization. We began with focus groups of citizens, business leaders, and business leaders from nearby communities that we saw as peers within metro Atlanta. We also reached out to target markets throughout the southeastern region and other parts of the country. Elected officials also had to be interviewed and brought on board so we could find a balance between what they wanted and the perceptions of our targets. From there, we began to identify common issues, perceptions, and misperceptions that needed to be addressed to position ourselves in our desired manner.
This engagement cost more than the city had ever put on any kind of marketing, so we had to ease the council into it of a couple of years. We started with an affinity campaign built around the concept of "Alpharetta Proud" to instill pride in the community and show why our existing residents and businesses liked being here and thought everybody should be here. We also used it to highlight community volunteers—people who were excelling, businesses that were excelling.
There was also a business direct focus, which was our economic development arm, built around making us “the” technology city of the south. It was a public relations project that aimed to attract press coverage of what we were doing: launching incubators and innovative programs and fostering an environment of entrepreneurship and creativity. We targeted national media and trade publications, and Media Frenzy was also interested in working with our economic development director on targeted trade shows, but he chose to not engage them for active assistance in trade shows and promotional events.
What is the team composition?
We worked with the founder and CEO, who took a direct interest in the project, as well as their vice president. Everyone else in the firm was engaged in one way or another or at one time or another.
How did you come to work with Media Frenzy Global?
There were two reasons we wanted to utilize a company like Media Frenzy. First, they're based here in our community, so they understand us well, and they're engaged with a lot of our technology firms. Second, they were the right size. We didn't want to work with one of the large public relations and marketing firms available near us because we didn't want to be passed down to a junior associate who couldn’t understand the nuances of dealing with local government, which is different than engaging with typical corporate clients.
One of Media Frenzy’s specialties is working with businesses in the technology arena and using modern platforms to reach new and expanding markets. That kind of company was a key target for us so there was a natural draw there. We engaged them with our technology incubator first; and, after seeing how they worked, we sat down with the CEO and vice president to discuss the potential for them to take on the city of Alpharetta as a client.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent $330,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from July 2015 until June 2018.
Media Frenzy Global’s efforts have received positive reviews thus far from internal stakeholders, and internal metrics show promising click-through and open rates. They have contributed conceptually and delivered practical solutions. The team adapts well and understands the project requirements.