OV SafeSteps Program Wins Prestigious Award
The Town of Oro Valley is celebrating a big win as the OV SafeSteps program snagged first place in the 2022 Savvy Award for Communications and Marketing Tools: Printed Publications – COVID PR. This award was given by the City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA) on September 7 at their annual conference held in Portland, Oregon.
3CMA is a nationwide group dedicated to the belief that strong communication and marketing are key to fostering solid relationships between local governments and their communities. Their Savvy Awards honor exceptional achievements in public-sector communications and marketing efforts, with a keen focus on measurable results.
OV SafeSteps was created during the pandemic to highlight financial aid options for small businesses and encourage locals to shop safely in their community. The program was a comprehensive effort, with a detailed website, targeted digital ads for both businesses and residents, social media outreach, and printed materials. Thanks to these efforts, the program saw over a million website impressions and distributed more than $800,000 to over 200 businesses.
The Town of Oro Valley worked closely with marketing agency Gordley Group, the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce, and local businesses to make OV SafeSteps a success. Gordley Group, which played a key role in the communications campaign, nominated the program for the Savvy Award.
Town Manager Mary Jacobs remarked, “Oro Valley took a very innovative approach to supporting our businesses during the pandemic.” She emphasized how the collaboration with the Chamber and Gordley Group added the needed spark to the program.
Jan Gordley, president of Gordley Group, added, “We really appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with the Town on this critically important first step for the Town’s businesses and residents to safely resume their connections.”
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