Go Local Passport Campaign

This Go Local Passport campaign was developed by 6 emerging leaders with the goal of increasing positive awareness of Tacoma. Changing Tacoma’s negative messaging of the aroma of Tacoma, Tacoma feels like a ghost town and Tacoma crime makes the city unsafe was big issues to tackle.While attending the annual Leadership program (from January thru April) hosted by the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber and Pacific Lutheran University, we solidified our relationships with each other and our project was born. To involve and increase traffic to the downtown corridor, by encouraging residents to take a vacation in their backyard was our chosen campaign idea. We immediately realized our strengths and accepted our designated roles quickly. We knew from the start that our project would require a larger time commitment than the typical leadership projects in years past.

Image is our leadership team (David Printz, Pam Brewer, Donna Miller, Jean Smith, and Christina Kitchens), Paul Ellis, Jim Burgess and BIA staff (sponsor/hanging banners) on a donated bike from Harley Davidson Tacoma. Chamber employees, Sonja Hall and Joanne Buselmeier also participated on this photo shoot. This image was also used in the Chamber Current’s newsletter for marketing launch of our campaign.

Images: David Printz, campaign spokesman with Donna Miller and Christina Kitchens engaging the audience.

Team “Fabulous”

“Team Fabulous” consisted of:  David Printz, The Gurus Tacoma, Inc. (Computer networking/IT company), Donna Miller (Simpson Tacoma Kraft-RockTenn/Gensco, Inc.), Carol Young-Pitt (United Way of Pierce County), Pam Brewer (Franciscan Health Services), Jean Smith (Keybank/Kitsap Bank) and myself, Christina Kitchens as an employee of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber.

Campaign development is defined

Our Go Local Passport campaign duties required several commitments of reaching  sponsors/partners, local businesses, and brainstorming for how to reach a broader audience into Pierce County.

Poised and prepared to learn what leadership is, I worked to build my sphere of influence both externally and internally. Campaign needs included; to get support of services/money, create all the deliverables, and plan our final project presentation to the leadership attendees & instruction team. It was inspiring to be partnered with other leaders with the same drive and passion. On my 40th Birthday, we presented and nailed it! That was just the beginning – our group was chosen by the entire large group of leaders to present to the Chamber’s Board of Directors! David Printz was our pitchman and he didn’t disappoint. I am so impressed with his ability to present ideas in such a clear, solid, and powerful way. Donna kept things scheduled and organized, between email chains to contracts for businesses highlighting their commitment to our campaign.

My position was Creative Director. Creating the campaign’s materials: passport, stamp, street banners, bus designs, window and tshirt artwork for our team to wear while awarding prizes during the Broadway Farmers Market for 5 months. I also secured donated printing, street banners, media campaign outreach with TPCC, KLAY, BIA (Known now as Downtown Tacoma Partnership), Pierce Transit and Go Local. Our team spent hours walking from door to door to share this opportunity with business owners which assisted us to complete our valued offers for our “go local passport”.

Images: David Printz pondering our next direction at the Tacoma Farmers Market and group picture (Donna Miller, Cathy Thompson, Christina Kitchens and David Printz) with our youngest winner.

In a 8 week period, our leadership team procured over $15K of donated items and cash for our go local passport campaign. To this day, we continue to share our project experience with new leadership group. This campaign’s success continues to be realized in completed passports, copy-cat promotions and provided the visual platform for go local organization to flourish. I am thankful for the opportunity to work beside this group’s leaders to make a difference in our community. And with this experience, I work with clients with their marketing campaigns.

Images: David handing out our Go Local Passport to market exhibitors and we found another winner (Christina Kitchens, David Printz and Donna Miller).

Many thanks to our partners!

Many thanks to all of those who assisted with their insight, support and feedback. Special thanks to Sonja Bert(TPCC), Paul Ellis CEcD, AICP(BIA), Rusty George(RGC), Patricia Lecy-Davis(Go Local) Leadership Co-leaders Mike Weinman(TPCC) and Christine Hansvick Ph.D.(PLU). David Printz and Donna Miller deserve extra kudos for their strong dedication to this project!

Image: Donna Miller, Carol Young-Pitt, David Printz and Christina Kitchens on the last day of the campaign, after all the prizes were awarded.