Uptown Jackson recognized for marketing campaign

Businesses do not grow accidentally; growth requires a plan. And when changes throw routines for a loop, it takes an especially creative plan. Where Jackson businesses are concerned, the loop is literal. The roundabout construction project required a strategy to keep consumers frequenting local businesses. Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization went into action, therefore. The result? It won the Outstanding Marketing Award.

When the busiest intersection in a city is undergoing construction to put in a roundabout, people do their best to avoid the disruption. This puts businesses in a precarious position, where fewer people equals less revenue.

To address this situation, Uptown Jackson, a new Missouri Main Street Affiliate Grant community, organized a marketing campaign that would benefit residents and the district. Playing on the roundabout theme, it used the tagline, "You can still visit Uptown Jackson in a 'round-a-bout-way,'" which reminded everyone that uptown Jackson was still open for business.

Uptown Jackson also offered incentives for people to stay engaged despite the temporary interruption of habit and convenience during construction. These incentives came in the way of Roundabout Rewards cards, which the Southeast Missourian recently described as "a free punch-type card that customers use in the various uptown businesses to receive discounts or special offers." Beyond that, at campaign's end, someone will win a $500 shopping spree.

Has the marketing campaign been successful? Well, if you consider a 300 percent increase in Uptown Jackson's website traffic and a surge of new customers to district businesses success, then the answer is yes. Uptown Jackson plans to ride the wave of momentum past the completion of the round-about.

The Outstanding Marketing Award is a well-deserved honor for Uptown Jackson.

Congratulations!