The South Shore Chamber of Commerce’s “Hello! South Shore” campaign was recently recognized as Overall Best Campaign by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE).
ACCE is the leading national association for chambers of commerce and economic development organizations representing over 1,600 members, and more than 9,000 industry professionals.
The South Shore Chamber of Commerce was named one of three Communications Excellence Best In Show winners by ACCE.
Hello! South Shore is a regional destination marketing campaign that was created and designed to assist the regional recovery from the economic impact of COVID-19. After receiving a Regional Pilot Project Grant through the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, the chamber partnered with local towns, businesses, and organizations to create a series of excursions that ran throughout the summer. The excursions were designed to spotlight arts, culture, history, outdoors, food, shops, recreation, holiday events, farmers markets and neighborhoods across the South Shore.
The campaign was the first to formally promote the South Shore region. Its companion website www.hellosouthshore.com encouraged more than 600,000 residents to think of “local” as more than their own neighborhood or town and promoted broader exploration. The campaign launch spanned three months during the summer of 2021 with 125 unique communications produced and delivered through email, radio, social media, billboard, magazine and other forms of media. The website, www.hellowsouthshore.com, is still very much the hub for all the excursions and places to visit in the region.
As a result of this groundbreaking campaign for the South Shore Chamber, Hello! South Shore reached nearly a million impressions in just 13 weeks. The project also provided countless local businesses, organizations, and events the much-needed support they deserve as they recover from operational losses due to the pandemic.
The Best In Show Award was announced live at the ACCE Annual Convention held July 27 in Indianapolis. The Hello! South Shore campaign competed against major metro chambers and regional chambers in three other award categories including digital media, website, print and electronic publications.
“Effective communications and storytelling are crucial to supporting a chamber’s mission and showcasing its impact,” said ACCE President and CEO Sheree Anne Kelly. “The South Shore Chamber of Commerce’s innovative efforts to help drive engagement and make a difference in the region it serves are inspiring and very deserving of this recognition.”
“Looking ahead and beyond recovery, the Hello! South Shore project is directly linked to our larger economic and community development goals as part of the South Shore 2030 Plan,” said Peter Forman, president and CEO of South Shore Chamber of Commerce. “If you’re thinking about a campaign to brand your region, think local. Marketing the assets of your community to outsiders falls flat if the local businesses and residents don’t recognize and value those assets first.”
A panel of communications and marketing professionals from 10 U.S.-based chambers of commerce evaluated entries submitted for this year’s competition. Entries were organized by category — based on the chamber’s annual revenue. Judges presented 13 Awards of Excellence and three Best in Show awards.
