LAIC Gets Madison Marketing Right

...now that's Unexpected™!

I haven't received the tip for tuition in my jar yet, but the LAIC must have attended Marketing 101: their new print ad for Madison is good stuff! Compare the clunker from June (left) with the smashing bit of authentic advertising (right!) on the back cover of the August Prairie Business Magazine (click each one to see a larger view):

Authentic, authentic, authentic—boffo! It's got all the real Madison things that can sell our town: real Madison people, nice lakes, green space, golf, construction, computers, little girls carrying way-too-heavy backpacks (because they're studying extra hard to be smarter than everyone else, and recruiters love smart girls!).

Special kudos to the photog with the keen sense to get a shot of Shawn Miller, the coolest-looking construction stud in town, if not in all of South Dakota. That shaved head, those ubiquitous sunglasses...dang! If they'd have just gotten his earring in the photo, phones at the LAIC would be ringing off the hook!

Now that the LAIC has realized it's o.k. to use real Madison people in its ads, I can restart my contest: I've already named Shawn, so who out there can recognize the other four friendly Madison folks in the August ad? Submit their names in the comment section here or via the contact form. First person* who can put verifiable names to all four faces gets dessert at Dairy Queen, my treat! (Don't forget: if you want dessert, you'll have to include your name with your comment! ;-))

And if you can name the person in the boat along with the other four faces, I'll buy you a DQ Meal Deal with your dessert.

*Dwaine Chapel and other employees of the LAIC are not eligible. Neither are wiseguys: Dessert refers to one dessert item (Blizzard, cone, Dilly bar, etc.) for one person. DQ Meal Deal refers to one sandwich, one side, and one beverage for one person. Dairy Queen is a registered trademark of Dairy Queen International... but I don't think they'll mind. If they have issues, I'll make you a grilled cheese sandwich instead. :-D