Challenge
Develop an attention-getting, behavior changing, street smart campaign. A multi-media communications effort aimed at changing behavior and creating more mindful community out on the streets. The messaging will educate Lexingtonians how to stay safe and avoid traffic accidents. Increased safety = increased alternative transportation (biking, walking) = better air quality and a healthier environment.

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Hot Idea: Lexington needed to know why - and how - its water quality was going down the storm drain. So we launched a campaign of TV and print ads which really grabbed people’s attention. Especially since we seriously worked our media connections to beef up our media budget with a flood of bonus spots.

Cool Results: We helped launch a new city-wide awareness of green issues with intrusive creative and an extra boost: almost-triple negotiated broadcast exposure and significant press coverage. And the added bonus of an integrated brand capable of accommodating Department of Environmental Services consumer communications about green issues from water to waste.

Hot Idea: We decided it was time for Lexington to start behaving the next Great American City it’s poised to become. Our strategy was to pool campaign funds from entities who have common goals. It just makes strategic sense to unite folks who run the trolleys, plan the parking and encourage us to think outside of the car every once and while.

Our common platform is a hip new movement called Move It People, which is comprised of a complex, hard-hitting media campaign, social media, website, mass transit and environmental graphics.

Cool Results: We got the message out loud and clear to our community that it’s time to be urban cool, think green by biking, walking, and using mass transit.

The Keep Lexington Beautiful Commission is not a government entity. It is a group of benevolent corporate citizens and volunteers. Yearly, the Group CJ and the Commission host several educational and environmental events in addition to the multiple events surrounding the Great American Cleanup (March-May): The annual litter survey in which sections of the city are measured and rated according to their pollution levels (March); the CLPP Cigarette Litter Prevention program and materials (ongoing); Wolf Run Watershed Management Project and educational festival (October); and America Recycles Day/Recycle Bowl (November). To learn more about The Keep Lexington Beautiful Commission, visit their website at www.KeepLexingtonBeautiful.com

Hot Idea: A survey of 8,000 Kentucky consumers, showed “freshness” to be the number one motivation in food-buying decisions. Based on this research, the CJ team developed a communication strategy based on the idea of “Kentucky Fresh”.  The campaign slogan: “Taste Kentucky Fresh. Nothing Else is Close.” reinforced the message that buying local means buying fresh.

Kentucky Fresh ads brought the taste of Kentucky produce to the forefront with the sound of freshness. The echo of an actual bite into locally grown corn on the cob, the slurp of a fresh Kentucky peach and the snap of a bean. We produced lively and attention-getting television commercials that spoke to the consumer.

Cool Results: Kentucky Fresh/Kentucky Proud was embraced by the farmer and consumer largely due to the efforts of Group CJ. Our grass roots strategy paid off as increasing consumer demand for “local Kentucky” produce prompted retailers to actively seek local suppliers to fulfill this demand.

Partly in response to consumer demand, Kentucky Fresh/Kentucky Proud branded products made their debut in Wal-Mart stores in Central Kentucky. And today, you’ll see Kentucky Fresh/Kentucky Proud at almost every outdoor market, in many restaurants and grocery stores.

A combination of hard work and our excellent media relationships enabled us to ultimately report a 65% increase in the total budget through documented value-added exposure! That truly is what we are known for - maximizing every penny.

Hot Idea: Parking being a traditionally sensitive subject, it was important not to ruffle any feathers. We approached the project with an upbeat attitude and created a user friendly look.

Cool Results: We launched a multi media campaign to let people know that parking was widely available downtown, as well as convenient and cost-effective.

Lexpark Social Success Story: Friend the parking people? Seriously?

In March 2013 Group CJ demonstrated to the Lexington Parking Authority Board of Commissioners that they quite a prolific presence on Facebook where citizens were busily sharing their opinions about LEXPARK. The activity was so widespread that there was not one, but four sites dedicated to LEXPARK.

Unfortunately the four sites included “Say no to LEXPARK” and “F*CK LEXPARK” and there in fact was no official site for Authority. At first a skeptical Authority doubted whether citizens would respond – a very natural response seeing most people friend family, sports teams and their beloved personal favorite brands. But they made the bold move and the story unfolded quickly and more positively than anyone imagined.

Four months later 1,000 people have signed up as LEXPARK friends allowing the Authority to reach 30,000 people per week through their extended friend network. Regular posts have started the process of shaking the negative image many have of the Authority by showing how parking is free after 5PM and that parking fees have now renovated once dangerous city garages and brought to the social world the exciting and advanced new “Helix” garage. The point was made that even something as seemingly unlovable as a parking authority has a good story to tell and if they don’t tell it, others will.

Social media has allowed citizens to get engaged and interested in what the Authority does and then in turn have allowed natural digital word-of-mouth to spread the good things LEXPARK is doing.

Hot Idea: Awareness, smart positioning and recognition of the new city bill were key. Group CJ, working closely with consultants, environmental quality, focus groups and the Division of Revenue, crafted a simple, hard hitting campaign that included mass media, direct mail, digital media and PR. Our approach was to let the community know what exactly their fees pay for - the somewhat progressive services that our city provides. And of course, remind them subtly that if they did not pay, there would be consequences.

Cool Results: The campaign launched with little pushback and a lot of bills being paid. In fact, the response was so overwhelming - people paying in person at City Hall - that the city decided to install and easy-pay drop box right on Main. Operationally, the transition was pretty seamless - partly due to the fact that we prefaced the change with landlords and began the campaign early with the right amount of reach and frequency.

Hot Idea: Our solution was to use a carrot and stick strategy – coupling an incentive to act with a reminder of the consequences of non-compliance. The message, “pay now or pay more later” was conveyed in high-frequency, high-impact TV, radio and print executions. Group CJ coupled that with good public relations and added value/bonus spots thanks to our long-standing stellar relationships with the local media.

Cool Results: A $100,000 investment reaped $2.9 million in additional revenue for the city – ten times what the Mayor expected. Long-term benefits included the addition of 1,250 new taxpayers to the collection rolls.

After witnessing the results of Lexington’s Tax Amnesty, the City of Covington asked Group CJ to do the same, which was held in the spring of 2004 and collected over $375,000.

And we did it again in 2010. Group CJ launched a Tax Amnesty campaign in three short weeks recovering over $1,700,000 in unpaid taxes.

For the effort, Group CJ successfully walked away with the only Tall Addy for Documented Sales Success in 2010.