If you haven’t read yesterday’s post and the corresponding comments you should read that before you read this. Or, go to Twitter and you’ll start to see the picture become a lot clearer.
We didn’t write that post to drive an insane amount of traffic to our blog. And insane is an understatement – we received about 1,000 views yesterday, which in full disclosure, is about 10 times the normal amount.We also have about 100 new followers. There were over 500 tweets and retweets regarding this subject yesterday. Social Media is a powerful device to be sure.
We didn’t write that post so that we could write this one today. I think we all wish we were that smart.
We wrote it because we felt the state of Iowa stepped on all Iowans by choosing a Texas firm for their economic development business. Seriously, I don’t make this stuff up. The ironic alalogies that can be made here are endless.
What we learned is that Iowans care. And it’s not just the firms that didn’t get chosen for the business, (as mentioned in our post, we didn’t compete for the business), it’s people who are unemployed, people who are tired of poor government decisions and people who believe Iowa stands for something better, or at least that Iowa stood up for their own. As we learned, yesterday was a sad day if you think about the implications this has.
I haven’t investigated the firms that competed for the business that went to Texas. I do know that agencies we run up against all the time were tweeting about it yesterday, driving traffic to their competitor’s blog. And I applaud them for that. Not because we set traffic records, but because they realized that it wasn’t about which agency exposed the truth about IDED, it was about the truth that was exposed. If more state government agencies or more Iowa companies choose to go outside of the state for their marketing needs,we’ll all be in a world of hurt. Kudos to the local agencies for seeing the bigger picture.
I am going to commend IDED for at least putting together and posting a release on their Web site that outlined the decision they made. 
A release they probably scrambled to get together given the number of typos. We don’t like the response but at least they responded. But they should have responded through the mediums in which they were being discussed, Twitter and Facebook or even on the AdMavericks blog. Nathan Wright (@nathantwright) of Lava Row seemed generally bummed when he tweeted: “Seeing lots of tweets about IDED’s decision to go out-of-state for their PR firm. Wish IDED participated here so we could hear their side…”
I couldn’t agree with him more.
I’d like to think that IDED realizes they made a poor decision. I’d like to think they may rethink the idea of handing the business to an Iowa company who deserves it. Per their release, they did spend a whopping two hours deciding on where to spend their reported “multi-million dollars” in tax payer dollars. Perhaps a three hour meeting could change that decision. Make no mistake, Iowans will lose jobs over their decision if it hasn’t happened already.
I’d like to think that IDED may actually develop a crisis plan, or have some sort of a social media platform like Twitter or Facebook in order to reach their detractors. I know an agency in Texas that is certainly willing to help them.
Author: Josh Fleming
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Again, well written. Thanks from this local designer for putting it out there.
It is nice to see everyone pulling together despite where they do or don’t work. Too bad IDED didn’t take that into consideration for two whole hours before looking outside the state. Might be a lesson about who lives and works here, and what we all bring to the table.
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As someone who has been on both sides of the agency world – with an agency and hiring agencies – I’m troubled more by Lessing-Flynn’s attacks than I am about the IDED’s decision.
First, the Lessing-Flynn post is misleading. The IDED is spending the majority of its contract with Iowa agencies. Half is to Integer for the tourism component and some portion of the other half goes to Burson-Marsteller’s Iowa affiliate.
Second, IDED seems to recognize what marketing “professionals” on this blog do not: different agencies bring different strengths when it comes to communicating to different audiences. When it comes to business marketing, the State of Iowa needs to reach out to Europe and Asia as much as anything. There is nothing wrong with hiring an agency that brings an international presence. In fact, it’s a smart move.
Third, can we assume that everyone who self-servingly attacks the IDED for hiring an out-of-state agency for a minority share of its marketing contract will take a pledge to never accept work from an out-of-state public entity? Yeah, right.
Sorry, but I think in the long run Lessing-Flynn and others who hopped on this bandwagon are doing themselves and the business a disservice, and in the process making Iowa look like a xenophobic place to do business.
Xenophobia (n) = Having abnormal fear or hatred of the strange or foreign … racism. (RE: Merriam Webster)
It’s not fear of strange or formal, it’s fear of being out of work and watching your government agency ship your job out of state.
Interesting facts for the day:
1. Associated Press picked up the story, it’s running in Houston.
2. Iowa Agency ad clubs banding together statewide on the issue.
Teamwork = (n) work done by several associates with each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole .
Good post, and thanks for the shout-out. I’m less bummed about IDED’s decision to go out-of-state for that portion of the business, and more disappointed that they refused (or simply lacked the education / awareness / know how) to participate in the mediums in which the issue was being discussed and debated.
If they had any sort of online reputation management initiative going, they’d have a representative listening and responding on Twitter, Facebook and your blog. A press release on a website doesn’t do anything. (Let’s hope that their new agency can teach them this.)
This, of course, is coming from the perspective of someone who teaches organizations how to use these mediums, so I get upset when I see a missed opportunity for them to engage in productive dialog.
Also, I’m all for going local first to find talent, but if you aren’t finding what you need in order meet the needs of your business, by all means look elsewhere. We don’t need to be so circumscribed in our thinking that 100% of everything needs to be born and raised here. And good for IDED for keeping some biz locally with Integer, an agency that has clearly served them well over the years and got rewarded for that.
Again, great post and let’s cross our fingers that someone from IDED joins the conversation.