awards

–Planit Wins AMA Marketing Excellence Award for "Best Local Campaign"–

Baltimore, Md. (June 10, 2011)—Planit, a Baltimore-based marketing and communications agency, today announces it has won the Marketing Excellence Award for “Best Local Campaign” by the American Marketing Association (AMA) of Baltimore for their 2010 interactive campaign for Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. The AMA Marketing Excellence Award is given each year to a company or agency that plans and implements the best local marketing campaign. While Planit is often recognized for its creative expertise, this award credits Planit’s ability to execute strategic and results-oriented campaigns.

“Being recognized by the AMA is the icing on the cake after crafting and implementing a strategy that helped our client win the ultimate prize,” said Matt Doud, president of Planit. “In order for our campaign efforts to be a success, it was critical for us to show Marylanders what O’Malley had accomplished, while articulating these undertakings with a warm and personal tone rather than in a heavy political manner like many politicians exhibit today. As a thought leader in this integrated space, we look forward to continuing to execute top-notch strategy and cutting-edge creativity, both offline and on.”

Planit was approached by Governor O’Malley’s reelection campaign group to aid in achieving an “out of the box” campaign that included a stronger message, bolder web presence, and a unified social media presence. This project was a first for Planit, as the company had never been involved in the cutthroat world of politics; however, the firm embraced the challenge and opportunity. Focusing on the successes of the governor’s past term and his “Moving Maryland Forward” platform, Planit-created a sub-theme of “Connections” to humanize the governor’s accomplishments and bolster his public image in hopes of winning key voters.

The campaign results speak for themselves. Planit built an exceptionally creative and functionally successful campaign, developing more modern and creative outlets for online media. The campaign increased website traffic by 200% and page views by 300% while doubling Facebook fans and tripling Twitter followers. The result of these successes online aided Governor O’Malley in securing his second term as governor of Maryland.
About Planit

Planit is a strategically driven marketing and communications agency that provides creative solutions to a broad range of national and regional clients. Providing advertising, design, direct mail, interactive, animation, and public relations services across various industries, the agency, established in 1994, uses the philosophy of IDEAS TRANSFORMSM to deliver breakthrough creative and measurable results. Planit’s clients include: Barclays Bank; GBMC Hospital; McCormick & Company, Inc.; M-Edge Accessories; Fila; and Marriott International, Inc.

About the American Marketing Association

The American Marketing Association is the largest marketing association in North America. It is a professional association for individuals involved in the practice, teaching, and study of marketing worldwide. It is also the source that marketers turn to every day to deepen their marketing expertise, elevate their careers, and, ultimately, achieve better results. American Marketing Association members are connected to a network of experienced marketers more than 30,000 strong.

Articles in today's New York Times and on Mashable.com discuss the launch of "The Daily," the first digital newspaper designed for the ipad. This digital publication will cost you $.99 a week, or $40 a year. On top of your $400+ iPad device. The newspaper applies the sensibility of USA Today to the digital age "by trying to enliven the printed word with photographs, video and interactive features that work seamlessly together."

As I read up on this news platform (at no cost to myself or Planit), I was wondering whether or not this really has the potential to transform how we consume news. I spend at least an hour each day reading the latest headlines from established news resources, about world news, US business updates, consumer trends and the latest news about my clients, all for free.

My main question is, can "The Daily" match up to the reputation of news sources that have been in business for more than 100 years?  And more importantly, will consumers want to pay for this news?