News
Bob Shallit: Sacramento ad firm lands golden deal to keep touting California
By Bob Shallit
bshallit@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Apr. 8, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 1B
Sacramento ad agency MeringCarson is celebrating a huge contract award: renewal of a state tourism-promotion contract worth as much as $100 million over the next four years.
The size of the contract in a down economy resulted in bids from top national and international agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi, Young & Rubicam and BBDO.
"For us to beat them and keep this contract in Sacramento is a big, big win," says company chief exec David Mering.
His agency has had the industry-funded California Travel and Tourism Commission contract since 1997 – and has earned kudos for clever spots that have celebs and regular folks extolling the California "lifestyle."
But Mering says being the incumbent was not necessarily an advantage – especially when competing against ad industry giants for a contract that's four times larger than when it was last renewed in 2004.
"We didn't take anything for granted. We approached it like we were the underdog," he says.
Mering isn't discussing the agency's creative plans for the contract. But he suggests the approach won't veer far from the "platform" the agency has used in the past to highlight the people who define this state.
"We're not just selling the place, we're selling the people and the lifestyle – the California attitude," he says.