Awww. Summer in Indiana. As a lifelong resident, I have many fond images of growing up and now enjoying Indiana with my friends and family. And, working in the tourism business for many years now provided countless opportunities to see and experience what the Great State of Indiana has to offer visitors and residents alike – from sunny beaches to rolling hills to stunning urban skylines. So, it was quite an honor to be asked by Indiana tourism officials to be on a panel of judges for the My Indiana Summer photo contest. Wow – what a success! More than 1,700 photos were submitted by over 200 photographers.

Our job as judges was to winnow down those 1,700 photos to the top five. And now, it’s up to the people of Indiana and beyond – it’s up to you – to vote for your favorite image. Vote at My Indiana Summer.

I was in remarkable company, joined by Amanda Cecil, PhD, CMP from IUPUI, John Bragg, owner of John Bragg Photography, Ray Begovich, journalism professor (and mentor) from Franklin College and Tad Fruits, art photographer from the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

My biggest take-away was that there is little doubt that the heartland of America – our great state – is beating with zeal and great health. So go ahead, take a look for yourself at My Indiana Summer and vote today.

Borshoff principal Erik Johnson, APR, Fellow PRSA, shared his views on “Marketing in a recession: advertising agencies’ approaches to actively sustain client goals in the current economic environment.” Erik was part of a communications panel before executives from Indiana convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) or destination marketing organizations (DMOs) during a June 18 Indiana Tourism Council meeting.Erik and other panelists spent much of the time stressing the importance of understanding today’s consumer mindset. They recommended giving special to your existing customer base, developing targeted audience lists, creating strong and well-thought-out key messages (including a break-through creative platform), and using efficient communications channels from advertising to news media to social media, as appropriate, to get the word out.

The program, held at Conner Prairie, also included Bruce Hetrick, CEO, Hetrick Communications; John Palmer, senior digital strategist, MediaSauce; and Jen Perry, account supervisor, Williams Randall Marketing.