DDA to “Be Closer” with Marketing Firm for Another Year

The Fenton Downtown Development Authority has signed with the Milford-based New Moon Visions for another year.

The terms of the agreement include a monthly retainer of $5,008 for the marketing firm. The company's hourly fee is $100 per hour, and the DDA pays the business for 601 annual hours.

This will include: maintaining the Be Closer Web site, online magazine, social media, marketing plan tasks, business workshops, press releases for merchants and events, event coordination, benchmarking criteria for the marketing program, meeting attendance, market outreach (working with the business community) and managing the billboard and radio media purchases.

"They (New Moon Visions) will engage merchants, residents and community groups in helping them promote themselves and the community better," said DDA Director Michael Burns.

"By continuously promoting the positive things that are going on within the community, these will assist us in our ultimate goal, which is to promote the and the downtown district to a more regional market," Burns said.

An additional cost of $21,000 will be paid for marketing of DDA events, such as Friday’s , which Fenton Patch is co-sponsoring. New Moon Visions will also help run Fenton First Fridays, vacant building tours and shuttles to and from Silver Parkway for various downtown events.

"I am not sure if people understand that while we are assisting our businesses and different community groups by marketing them in a positive direction, we are marketing Fenton to a broader region," Burns said. "We would not be spending taxpayer dollars to promote Fenton to ourselves."

The current agreement with the company ends June 30.

"Last year at this time, we were just signing a contract with a new client, and today if feels more like making plans with a good friend," said Natalie Burg of New Moon Visions, who has handled much of the Fenton campaign.

Much of the first year of the campaign, , included New Moon Visions working with city officials, merchants and residents to uncover the community's brand. It includes a new logo, a blue-and-white fleur-de-lis; a new slogan, "Be Closer"; and a new website, fentonbecloser.com.

You may have seen billboards around town bearing the “Be Closer” slogan, and you may have heard radio ads promoting Fenton.

"This year, we get to be all action," Burg said. "All of the programs you've gotten used to seeing — our social media campaigns, radio and billboard ads, merchant workshops and PR, etc. — will continue and grow. We'll also be working on bringing more fun events to Fenton, as well as building on existing events to make them even better."

New Moon Visions has worked with Canton, Brighton, Milford, Northville, Plymouth and several other communities throughout the state.

"Fenton is full of wonderful people, and we can't wait to continue working with them," Burg said.