The city of Ames recently received national recognition for a marketing campaign run over the summer publicizing area road construction.

The Savvy Award, which recognizes city and county communicators in categories such as publications, communication plans and marketing campaigns, is given by the City-County Communication and Marketing Association (3CMA). The city won first place in “Marketing Campaigns for Cities under 50,000 People.”

Clare Bills, public relations officer, submitted the marketing campaign titled “You Want To Go Where?”, which was used over the summer to inform Ames citizens about road construction projects around the city. Bills was in charge of the campaign and will personally accept the award in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 5.

Bills said this is the first time the city has submitted a campaign to the contest, and it is also the first time the city has won any awards in public relations or marketing. Ames was the only Iowa city to win a Savvy Award.

The marketing campaign involved many aspects to publicize local road construction. Brochures, guest newspaper editorials, and radio and newspaper advertisements were used to get information about the projects to citizens.

The publicity surrounding the three month closing of the Grand Avenue underpass was the biggest part of the campaign. “It’ll Be Grand” was the theme used on street signs near the underpass, and banners stating “You Can’t Get There From Here” were hung across the avenue, Bills said.

On the morning of the closing of the underpass, fifteen people involved in the campaign gathered at the intersection and handed out Tootsie Roll Pops and maps highlighting area construction.

Fourteen other construction projects were shown in the maps besides the closing of Grand Avenue, including those projects on Hyland Avenue, 30th Street, Bloomington Road, and Duff Avenue between 10th and 12th Streets, among many others.

There was some risk in a campaign such as this, Bills said. “The city’s never done anything of a humorous nature before, and I think some city officials were hesitant to try it,” she said, “but citizens bought into the humor of it.”

Bills said that secretaries for the city kept logs of phone calls received about the construction and the overall response was highly positive.

“I personally like publicity in campaigns, because it is a more effective approach for publicity in other projects as well,” Bills said. A similar campaign will possibly be used for projects next summer, she said.