More than 70 area businesses are stretching their advertising dollars during difficult times with an advertising match program offered by the Record-Journal Media Group and promoted by local chambers of commerce.
For every dollar in advertising spent, companies receive a dollar of additional advertising for free up to $10,000 through the advertising match program. The company has committed to providing $250,000 in matched advertising.
Liz White Notarangelo, publisher and executive vice president of the Record-Journal Media Group, heard about similar programs run by newspapers in other parts of the country.
“What we’re trying to do is help local businesses through this challenging time by providing as much support as we can,” she said.
Xavier High School, like all others in the state, has switched to online teaching. Nicholas Grasso, the school’s admissions director, said it was important to showcase what the school is doing. Xavier participated in the advertising match program.
“I felt it was still important to let people know that we have a strong program and we got right into online learning,” Grasso said. “It was a nice gesture by the Record-Journal to give us a little bit more of a voice.”
The school is still planning on holding summer programs and also wants to get the word out about them.
Barbara Hekeler-Coleman, president of the Southington Chamber of Commerce, said businesses are leery of saddling themselves with loans during this time. They’re more receptive to grant programs like the advertising match.
“It’s an excellent opportunity. Any type of economic relief that our businesses can receive, whether it’s a direct grant or a matching program, that’s all going to prove very beneficial to the businesses in the long run,” Hekeler-Coleman said. “A dollar for dollar match is significant.”
White said she’s been talking with chamber leaders such as Hekeler-Coleman to come up with ways to help businesses.
Since the shutdown orders from Gov. Ned Lamont, the Record-Journal has been running free business listings. Even if a business can’t spend money on advertising, it can get a message out for free, White said.
The Record-Journal also hosted a crisis marketing webinar earlier this month. White said she’s working on creating more webinars and is open to suggestions on how the media group can help local businesses.
Only businesses deemed essential are allowed to be open by Lamont’s orders. For those that are closed, White said they can defer use of the advertising matching program until they’re able to reopen.
“We know that so many businesses can’t reopen yet, and we want to help them too,” she said. “We’re trying to provide services to businesses that need them for free.”
For more information on the advertising match program go to https://www.myrecordjournal.com/amp.
jbuchanan@record-journal.com203-317-2230Twitter: @JBuchananRJ