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ONE-ON-ONE - July 2004
by Ed G. Lane
'Branding Will Be One of the Hallmarks of the Fletcher Administration'
Public relations executive Rebecca Simpson discusses the importance of creating a unified perception of the Commonwealth
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Rebecca Simpson
As chief executive officer of New!West, Rebecca Simpson has more than 25 years of experience in media and government relations and public affairs. Under Simpson’s guidance, New!West has handled accounts for some of the region’s largest clients, including Brown & Williamson, General Electric, and YUM Brands. Most recently, her agency won the State of Kentucky’s advertising and public relations contract.
Her previous positions include that of press secretary and director of public affairs for Jefferson County government, associate superintendent for the Kentucky Department of Education, and advertising and promotions director for the Kentucky Development Cabinet.
Simpson, who holds a degree in journalism and advertising from Marshall University, is also the creator and founder of the Kentucky Education Foundation. |
Ed Lane: New!West and Fitzgerald+CO were recently selected to conceive and implement a new branding campaign and slogan for Kentucky. Can you tell me how “Team Kentucky” (the two agencies) collaborated and won the state’s account?
Rebecca Simpson: New!West thought that it was very important to put together a team that could bring many disciplines to bear on this assignment. Strong branding experience, understanding state government and how it works, and the ability to “think outside of the box” would be needed to elevate the state’s marketing effort. As our top managers thought about all of that and took stock of our expertise at New!West and the talents of other affiliate agencies within the Interpublic Group, Fitzgerald+CO, an Atlanta-based advertising and brand-development agency, came to mind. We put “Team Kentucky” together, came up with a strategy, and conducted preliminary market research – both in-state and out-of-state - to obtain perceptions of Kentucky’s image on which to base our strategies.
 EL: When you conducted the preliminary research, you probably received positive and negative comments. Could you give our readers a few examples?
RS: There were several personalities of Kentuckians that emerged during the research process. That’s how the research was presented in our presentation to the state. One personality was a sophisticated Southern woman who drives a Mercedes, wears a hat – the good life. The second personality that emerged was the sophisticated Southern gentleman, probably a lawyer, upper-middle class or above, that likes fine bourbons. The third personality that emerged was the rugged farmer type: wears a baseball cap, drives a tractor, perhaps chews tobacco. Those were the three distinct perceptions of Kentucky’s personality that emerged from our research.
EL: Who was involved in the decision-making process for the state?
RS: There was a committee. The selection process was the fairest, most balanced that New!West has ever been through. The integrity of the process was just exceptional. Secretary Jim Host and Teresa Hill from the Commerce Cabinet guided the process. A committee representative of most, if not all, the cabinets in state government actually did the scoring in the final selection process.
EL: About how many people would that be?
RS: I would say there were 12 to 15 on the committee. Initially, perhaps 15 agencies submitted written proposals. Of those, seven made presentations, then two finalists were selected. New!West had to make another presentation to the governor and the cabinet secretaries in addition to the public information people who had been in the first go-round.
EL: Did the selection committee ask a lot of questions and how did the panel treat New!West and Fitzgerald+CO in the presentation?
RS: It was very good. The committee members held their questions till the end. A few questions were on the presentation itself. Then members asked questions about how we would work with state government. How do you get your arms around all these cabinets? We talked through a little of the process of how we would do that. The buzz-word was “collaboration.” We think it’s very important for the cabinets and everyone who’s involved in this process to feel that it’s a collaborative process. Our job is to help them, it’s not to come in and tell anybody what to do. It’s to help them embrace this brand because it’s all got to work together.
EL: When you did the final presentation with the governor included, was there a big group there too?
RS: There was a very big group. Most of the people at the first presentation and the governor were there as well as many of the cabinet secretaries. A new image for Kentucky is important to everybody. Everybody wants branding to succeed.
EL: After the meeting was over, what was your intuitive feeling about how the presentation had been received?
RS: I thought that we’d done a good job. Many times you second-guess. ‘Oh, maybe would should have done this or should have done that.’ I was satisfied that we had done as well as we could. Then we were just hoping that we would be selected.
EL: On behalf of “Team Kentucky,” how many representatives from New!West and Fitzgerald+CO attended the presentation?
RS: Seven or eight folks attended the presentation. Two were from Fitzgerald+CO and the rest were from New!West.
EL: Who will be the agency’s chief contact at the state?
RS: Secretary Host will be the chief contact. Our leads on the project are Tom Kokai for branding and advertising and Joe Lilly for public relations.
 EL: Governor Fletcher has streamlined the executive branch so that there are now fewer cabinets. Looking at your previous experiences with state government, what’s your feeling about consolidation?
RS: Well, I think each administration has to look at how they want their processes to operate. Change and streamlining can be beneficial. It can reduce costs and I know money is an issue. Anytime you can streamline processes and create efficiencies, it’s always a good thing.
EL: Some of the services you’re going to provide will be performed by New!West, and some by Fitzgerald+CO. How do you determine who does what?
RS: It’s truly going to be a team effort. Right now what we’re doing is looking at the “getting started” part and that’s the branding portion. Tom Kokai and Joe Lilly of New!West have met with almost all of the cabinet folks. Right now we’re trying to get our arms around all the cabinets and what their needs might be. Tom Kokai is also working with Paul Gilberto from Fitzgerald to get the branding process put together, rolled out. You saw the first evidence of that with the governor’s news release about the public involvement portion. We’ll be doing research. It’s truly been a partnership and it’s working very well right now.
EL: Are you planning on using “happy faces” in any of the state’s campaign?
RS: (laughs) We’ve had quite a bit of feedback and the “happy face” is not well liked.
EL: Do you have a time frame as to when you’ll make a presentation to the state with your branding concept and slogan?
RS: It will be within the next few months, but no specific date has been set.
EL: New!West is one of the state’s largest and probably longest-operating public relations firms. Could you tell me a little about the history of the firm?
RS: The firm began in 1971 with Rod Wenz and Randy Neely and it was the Wenz-Neely Company.
In 1988, the business was sold to Shandwick, which was based in London, England and was acquiring very successful agencies around the globe.
As early as 15 years ago, Shandwick knew that the whole branding process was an important one. In 1993 they changed the name of all the agencies that they owned globally to Shandwick.
Shandwick was subsequently acquired by Interpublic Group. Over the next few years, Interpublic started acquiring other PR firms like Weber Communications, based out of Boston. Interpublic merged both PR firms to become Weber Shandwick in 1999.
In 2001, I was offered the opportunity to buy our Louisville office. I jumped at the opportunity, and invited Tom Howell, who I’ve worked with for years, to be my business partner, and New!West was born in January of 2002.
EL: After buying the agency, you re-branded. Is there something symbolic about the New!West brand?
RS: New!West is still an affiliate of Weber Shandwick. Although we’re not owned by Interpublic Group anymore, we do maintain that relationship.
On the New!West front, Tom and I had actually been on a Greater Louisville Inc. trip to Nashville. This was before we were even given the opportunity to buy the agency back. As we were talking about the Louisville metro government merger and Kentucky’s position in the U.S., somebody said with all that’s happening in Kentucky and the merger of Louisville and Jefferson County, we just think that Kentucky is poised to be the “new west” for the United States.”
Tom jotted that down on a “post-it” note. We wanted to create an entrepreneurial spirit and give the company a name that would symbolize the talent and creative members in our agency. Tom called me one Sunday afternoon and said, “Bear with me, I’m looking at this “post-it” note from the GLIDE trip and I think this really epitomizes what we’re trying to create with our new company. I suggest we go with the name New!West.” And that was it.
EL: The governor’s recent airplane trip into Washington D.C. caused an alert at the White House and the Capitol. About a week later, high water washed floating houses 60 miles down the Kentucky River. Both stories made national news and reinforced a negative perception that exists about our state. How does Kentucky deliver a positive perception?
RS: The governor’s branding campaign shows a progressive attitude on his part. Branding will be one of the hallmarks of the Fletcher administration. It will uplift the image of Kentucky, give it some context, so that some of those stigmas that we learned in our early research are revised. I would commend the administration for what they are doing with this process because it addresses the issues that you just brought up.
EL: Louisville and Jefferson County merged in 2003. How is the new metro government doing under the leadership of Mayor Jerry Abramson?
RS: Jerry’s administration has done a wonderful job. Merged government has truly put Louisville on the map and I credit Mayor Abramson with making that happen. Metro government will create efficiencies that we’ll be realizing in the years to come. Obviously you’ve got to work through some issues as they arise, but I’d like to commend the mayor and his entire staff for how they’ve helped shepherd this process. They’ve really done a good job.
EL: Does Metro-Louisville also need to have a new branding?
RS: I know just the agency to help them do that!
EL: The new bridges between Indiana and Kentucky are supposed to help the growth of the region and improve commutation between Kentucky and Indiana. How has this issue been handled with the public?
RS: The public involvement portion of the bridges work was handled extremely well and people had a voice in the process. Both sides – the pro and con of the issues – were addressed. The negatives were heard and the issues have been adequately addressed. I’m not a highway engineer, but I feel there will be growth created by the bridge plan, and it’s probably the right thing to do.
EL: Your bio states that you have been in the PR business for over 25 years. What is one of the most important lessons you have learned during your career in public affairs?
RS: I’ve learned that you have to be forthcoming with information. It grates on me when people call us “spin doctors.” I try to work under the heading of no surprises – people don’t like to be surprised – they want to know what’s happening. I’ve also learned that if you’ve got bad news, you’re always better off to get it out there on your own terms. You cannot lie. The public will not forgive a lie. When you lie and you’re caught in a lie, then everything else that you’ve done is suspect and your lack of credibility clouds every issue.
Ed G. Lane is chief executive of Lane Consultants Inc. and publisher
of The Lane Report.
edlane@lanereport.com
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