NELSON SCHMIDT INC. ANNOUNCES WINS AT SERVICE INDUSTRY ADVERTISING AWARDS

Nelson Schmidt recognized for their work in the national service industry

MILWAUKEE – February 3, 2021 – Nelson Schmidt Inc., a leading independent full-service marketing agency, has been awarded for their 2020 client work in the Service Industry Advertising (SIA) Awards. The awards are for the following:

WEDC – “Focus Forward” Website – Website, Bronze
WEDC – “We’re All In” Campaign – COVID Marketing Campaign, Gold
Downtown Madison Inc. – State of Downtown Report – Annual Report, Gold
Nelson Schmidt – “Safe at Work” Campaign – COVID Response Materials, Gold

The winners were informed on Wednesday, February 3^rd on the SIA Awards website. “In a unique time we’re proud that our entries, two of which were specific to COVID marketing, were recognized by the national service industry,” said Dan Nelson, Jr., President and CEO.

WEDC “Focus Forward” Website

When COVID-19 struck, Wisconsin business owners found themselves in an economic struggle unlike anything they had ever experienced before. Who and where to turn to for help was both confusing and frustrating. While federal, state and local organizations were doing their best to mobilize their own assistance programs, business owners were left to find these disparate resources on their own. It was a time-consuming search for help that took their focus away from the immediate needs of their businesses.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) was determined to deliver a better solution. We worked with them to rapidly develop a single, go-to resource that aggregated all available programs in one, easy-to-digest destination. The Focus Forward website packaged together everything a business owner needed – from access to financial assistance to helpful advice and guidance – to ensure they could keep their business moving forward through COVID-19.

(Click to see the website)

WEDC – “We’re All In” Campaign

COVID-19 struck Wisconsin fast and fiercely. At no other time in history had our personal health and the health of our economy been more intertwined. The only way to get through this was to work together. Every single person, business and community in the state had to commit to going all-in against the virus.

Working with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, we created the We’re All In statewide campaign. It let Wisconsinites in every corner of the state know that to get our lives and the economy back on track, we needed to have each other’s backs.

The campaign continues to evolve as the virus evolves. It’s an agile approach that enables the messaging to stay relevant and helpful as people and businesses navigate the ever-changing phases of the pandemic. And it’s working. The website has a conversion rate that is usually only found on e-commerce sites.

(Click to Watch Campaign Overview Video)

Downtown Madison Inc. – State of Wisconsin Report

Each year, Downtown Madison, Inc. releases a data-driven report that helps leaders plan for future projects, growth, challenges and opportunities in order to maintain a healthy and vital central city in Madison, Wisconsin.

The downtown Madison area experienced the same plethora of changes and challenges in 2020 like all other central city districts. So we designed this year’s report to be highly visual, giving leaders in the community a quick and simple glance at the current state of downtown. This allowed them to more easily digest the data and make decisions on how to continue making downtown Madison a thriving regional economic engine.

The bright and approachable layout was also designed to bring joy and optimism to community leaders, helping them see a positive path forward even through the impact of the pandemic.

(Cover and spread from the report)

Nelson Schmidt – “Safe at Work” Campaign

Like most agencies, the majority of our employees opted to work from home as the pandemic struck and Wisconsin’s safer-at-home orders were implemented. As the crisis became more controlled, more employees expressed a desire to return to the office. So we created a comprehensive Safe-at-Work plan, ensuring our two offices were safe and ready for those who wanted to return.

In addition to an informative guidebook, personal safety supplies and custom designed antibacterial desk blotters, we created office-wide signage to remind people about the importance of practicing safe practices. Taking a “spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down” approach, we developed a series of messages that were not only instructional, but fun and memorable, too.