What happened: CVAB member Chad Hart called for a special meeting on Feb. 9 concerning a report from the Zimmerman agency that the agency had only spent 23% of the budget meant for Spring Break advertising for families and college students.

Why it matters: Concerned, Hart asked the Zimmerman Agency to explain why they spent only $54,000 of the approved $160,000 budget for spring break on display ads and subcontracted another agency called Basis. Hart and other businesses alike expect arrivals starting Mar. 4 and said that he expected the Agency to follow the CVAB’s guidance and not be an agency that thinks they know better. “I don’t see results,” said Hart.

According to the report, the Basis Agency spent $9.95 (per click) of the CVAB approved budget on display ads. “Would you pay $10 for somebody to go to your website? Because that’s what we did. That’s super expensive advertising,” says Hart.

Hart told the Agency and the CVAB his issue was the inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars and called this “the worst I’ve ever seen of any so-called marketing firm running a campaign.”

Hart explained that the board’s job is to start targeting in the late fall since early advertising leads to conversations with friends or families, which is when the CVAB approved the marketing plan for Spring Break (Nov. 18, 2021).

Hart asked the group, “Who is in charge of the Zimmerman group? How is someone so asleep at the wheel to say, ‘Wow, we (have) $160,000 to spend in two months.’” None of the Zimmerman Agency representatives responded.

What now: Hart motioned to direct the Zimmerman Agency to spend 75% of the remaining

budget for family and college on direct paid search and 25% on the social media channels they recommended in December.

Motion passed.

[Island Matters is following this story.]