TIAK Marketing Award Winners for 2020

Congratulations to the 2020 TIAK Marketing Award Winners!

TIAK Marketing Awards focus on overall marketing initiatives and recognize state-level winners only. See the 2020 winners listed below with some of the judge’s comments included for each submission.

Best in Show

Seneca Area Chamber & Downtown Impact was awarded Best in Show for its Big Kansas Road Trip Program Guide which highlighted three rural counties and included an ad that juxtaposed old and new photos of Seneca’s historic downtown.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Loved this video. The comparison to PIE was genius!
  • This is so fun and original! Engaging, moves right along, fun tidbits, warm, and a clever theme. And now I want pie!
  • Liked this a lot. Made me smile, made me want to visit, and made me hungry.

Visitor Guide (designed in-house)

South Central Kansas Tourism Region won in the small budget category for their regional collaboration.
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  • Great photography. Good job.
  • Most had events listed in general dates, so it can be used for multiple years.
  • Good, useful content well-displayed. Like the format.

Merriam Visitors Bureau received bragging rights in the medium budget category for its eye-catching Community and Visitor Guide.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Excellent submission. Very well put together guide.
  • Good choices for typography, headlines vs. body, photo treatment and graphics.
  • Appealing, engaging, great story-telling.

Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau was the large budget winner for its story-telling guide highlighting its Wild West history and German heritage.
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  • Nice community showcase, tons of information.
  • This is fun and visually appealing!
  • Love the design and organization.

Visitor Guide (outsourced)

Visit Shawnee received the small budget trophy for their annual Shawnee Magazine highlighting exciting new developments in their community.
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  • I like that the map was a “pull out” and use.
  • The stories were a refreshing break to a description of an attraction.
  • Really well done. Super appealing, clean, and engaging.

Visit Manhattan received the medium budget trophy for their Visitors Guide reflecting their “Oh Manhattan” marketing campaign.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Love the thematic “girls weekend” and other ideas in the guide.
  • I loved that you moved the advertising to the back so as to not clutter Manhattan’s story! This is a favorite, well-designed with catchy wording and images.
  • Incredible images, great design, wonderful and engaging copy.

eXplore Lawrence won in the large budget for their guide using the power of augmented reality.
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  • The Ambassadors give me a sense of an insider’s perspective. Like the layout and use of slightly arresting Lawrence-like images.
  • This, like the Lawrence brand, has a fun feel overall. I want to page through it.
  • The cover showed Lawrence’s personality. The headers were specific to Lawrence.

Online Marketing

The entries for the Online Marketing category include digital advertising, social media, e-mail marketing, website.

Seneca Area Chamber of Commerce & Downtown Impact was recognized in the small budget category for its Big Kansas Road Trip video.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Loved this video. The comparison to PIE was genius!
  • This is so fun and original! Engaging, moves right along, fun tidbits, warm, and a clever theme. And now I want pie!
  • Liked this a lot. Made me smile, made me want to visit, and made me hungry.

City of Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau received honors in the medium budget category for its Explore Great Bend website.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • I like that your photos change while the viewers look at each page.
  • The typography choices are interesting, but I think they work: a mix of folksy plus polished.
  • Good use of resources to utilize Wix for a website revamp. The photos scrolling across the homepage elevate the site.

Visit Kansas City Kansas received recognition in the large budget category for its KCK Mini-Escape campaign.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Well-executed and timely campaign! Love how all the pieces fit, and the smart idea of making these “mini trips.”
  • Great images, strong branding, engaging copy.
  • Love that the creative decisions were based off of recent and relevant data reflecting people’s desires to travel close to home so as to maintain safety during pandemic.

Event

The entries for the Event category include various events, meetings or conferences.

Downtown Hays Development Corporation garnered recognition in the small budget category for its virtual welcome for students.
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  • A great way to “pivot” during COVID-19. Great move during an uncertain time.
  • Super clever and fun way to overcome the COVID-19 challenge! Love the flyovers, and the contest encouraging viewers to answer.
  • Good job of using the digital space to welcome your students.

Olathe Convention & Visitors Bureau received large budget honors for its virtual Downtown Olathe’s Fourth Fridays.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • I like that the stats were included. With the COVID-19, the virtual event was a good alternative.
  • A good job being agile in a time of crisis.
  • Innovative way to pivot during the pandemic – and utilizing Facebook was a good strategic move based on the target audience.

Print Marketing

The entries for the Print category include newspaper ads, magazine ads, brochures, direct mail, inserts, anything print.

Seneca Area Chamber & Downtown Impact won in the small budget category for its Big Kansas Road Trip program guide.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • The metaphor of the old and new images is striking and inviting. Well done.
  • I like the content and how it is presented in the magazine.
  • Program guide is innovative and easy to follow. Great use of outside resources.

City of Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau was the medium budget winner for their Zoo Rack Card.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • I love this piece! Great photos, fun color scheme and good use of typography!
  • Zoo information and photos are effective at promoting the attraction – animal photos are good quality.
  • I like this a lot. This is a good example of allowing the images to have more space to speak out.

Visit Kansas City Kansas received the large budget win for their KCK Coloring Sheets.
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  • Working with local artist was a great idea, fantastic way to use your resources.
  • This is such a wonderful and strategic response to the troubling times.
  • I’m in love with this project. First, you engaged the children during a scary and weird time. Then, you engaged local artists. And finally, connected the dots with interviews.

Community Awareness

The entries for Community Awareness category include community events and promotions targeting locals.

Northwest Kansas Travel Council was honored in the small budget category for its community guide.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Very colorful pictures in this guide. I like that there is a map with within several pages related to the area that was being advertised.
  • Great images, good layout. Tons of useful information. The information is detailed yet easy to follow.
  • This is an excellent publication, year after year. It is difficult to create a cohesive design that differentiates sections and areas of emphasis. The pub did it, and did it well.

Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau won in the medium budget category for its #ABILENESTRONG campaign.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Loved this. Right time for showing solidarity. Working together and showing local support was a great internal community awareness.
  • These are very heartwarming! The Abilene Strong video is the winner for me, it’s compelling and so earnest.
  • The power of a viral campaign! Successful tagline/hashtag, “Abilene Strong” became recognizable and spread like wildfire!

Visit Kansas City Kansas received the large budget category win for their #SUPPORTLOCALKCK campaign.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Solid metrics as a result of this campaign. Great way to help local businesses during a time of crisis. I also love the font and visualization of the campaign on the website!
  • I liked that the stats were included really gives an overall feel of the success of the campaign. Used blogger, influencer, had tips, use local arts, etc…covered a lot of bases.
  • I liked this campaign and applaud the idea. The social media is very strong.

Thank you to all our participants for sharing their creativity, and to all our judges who diligently reviewed each entry. Will you be the next TIAK Marketing Award winner?