The Burns Harbor
Redevelopment Commission at its meeting last week opted to purchase an
advertising package for Food Truck Square that includes $7,503 in
customizable services.
Jackie Thomas of
the Duneland Chamber of Commerce gave a presentation on three advertising
packages the Commission could choose from to market Food Truck Square.
Thomas made her recommendations based upon her advertising successes with
the Chesterton European market. The cheapest package she presented was
$2,500, the middle option was $5,000, and the highest option was $7,503.
Commissioner Brad
Enslen suggested that the Commission go big in promoting Food Truck Square
this year since it’s the first year that the European Market will be part of
the festivities. Commissioner Kevin Tracy noted that spending that much
could set a bad precedent, but Enslen responded that he agrees spending that
much in future years would be excessive.
The Commission
voted with Enslen to purchase the most expensive package. Commission
President Marcus Rogala noted that $2,500 of the purchase will be funded
from an Indiana Dunes Tourism grant that requires towns advertise beyond
Northwest Indiana. Thomas said the package could fulfill that requirement
through advertising with the Post-Tribune and Adams Radio Group. Some other
platforms included are the NWI Times, the South Shore Line, and traditional
printed promotional materials like postcards.
Commissioner Eric
Hull suggested that print ads aren’t as effective and advertising for Food
Truck Square should be focused on digital ads and proven methods like the
postcards. Thomas said that the ad package is flexible in what kind of
options each media platforms offers. For digital ads, the Commission can
also decide where someone is directed after clicking an ad.
Karnerblue
consultant Tina Rongers noted that some grants that she has applied for on
the Commission’s behalf in the past were not awarded because she couldn’t
provide a narrative about how Burns Harbor attracts visitors from outside
the area. “There could be a way to leverage this in some of our grant
opportunities,” she said.
Board Leadership
Rogala announced at
the end of the meeting that he would be stepping down as President for
personal reasons. He will continue as a member of the Commission. He
motioned for Kevin Tracy to move up to President and Eric Hull to move up to
Vice-President. The motion passed with Commissioner Nick Loving dissenting.