News Release
January 12, 2009Topical Leroy billboard entices Russell, Tacoma residents
A solitary billboard overlooks a Pacific Avenue parking lot in the shadow of Russell Investments’ A Street headquarters. It speaks a message all of Tacoma had been thinking: “Russell — Don’t love me and leave me!”
When people in Tacoma heard international finance giant Russell was considering moving its headquarters, and its 3,000 employees, 30 miles north to Seattle, there was pandemonium. What would Tacoma do if it lost its most valuable employer?
Just having Russell in Tacoma contributes roughly $77 million a year in direct spending to Tacoma’s economy, according to Economic Development Board estimates.
Another Tacoma business, LeRoy Jewelers, is known for the unique jewelry created by owner Steph Farber — and his unique billboard ads created by JayRay, a Tacoma communications consultancy.
“Every year before the Christmas shopping season since 1987, the masterminds at JayRay gather to brainstorm a uniquely humorous advertising campaign for Farber, the uniquely humorous owner of LeRoy Jewelers,” The News Tribune business columnist Dan Voelpel wrote in his Dec. 5, 2008, column.
LeRoy’s customers are generally highly educated professionals who don’t want to buy the same thing everybody else is buying. What better way to attract LeRoy’s target audience than to intrigue them with a local and timely billboard?
The Russell billboard snagged their attention.
In addition to being the topic of Voelpel’s column, the billboard was featured on Tacoma blog Exit133.com, along with a photo. People stopped in to LeRoy just to say they’d seen the billboard. The blog commenters gave LeRoy and JayRay kudos, and said LeRoy and JayRay were a “fantastic, clever, outrageous team,” and to keep the billboards coming.
Squid, one Exit133.com commenter, said, “LeRoy’s ads by JayRay have become one of Tacoma’s best holiday traditions.”
Positive e-mails and calls came in to LeRoy from the Tacoma city manager, the economic development department manager charged with retaining Russell, the head of the local economic development board, a city council member, one of Tacoma’s largest commercial real estate developers, and also from a director in a local congressman’s office. Most praised LeRoy Jewelers and used words such as, “bravo,” “genius” and “brilliant.”
Farber’s nephew in Boston even saw the Exit133.com post and said, “Your ads are aces. Truly excellent board.”
As hoped, the campaign was well taken and went viral, placing a positive spotlight on LeRoy and Farber.