June 11-OC Says Ad Campaign Creating Media Buzz

 OCEAN CITY – Locals in Ocean City may not understand what all the fuss about Rodney the Lifeguard is about, but he’s already creating quite a buzz off the island and as hoped, for the island.

Ocean City Public Relations Director Donna Abbott has been fielding numerous press inquiries from both regional and national news organizations about the town’s new mascot of sorts, and coupled with the “value” angle that the various media outlets are hoping to showcase this season, Ocean City has been getting more exposure than usual.

“The media seems to be focusing on value this year, and Ocean City is picking up momentum in the coverage we are getting because we offer so many free events and have so many great deals here,” said Abbott. ”It is also helpful, from a regional standpoint, that we are a drive-to destination, and our Rodney campaign has been very well received thus far.”

Although residents of Ocean City may not see the town’s Rodney commercials, as they are shown in five major markets on the east coast, including New York, Abbott said the character is catching on and drawing interest from major news organizations like Fox News and the Weather Channel and has received mentions in major newspapers like the Philadelphia Inquirer, the New York Times, the Washington Post and USA Today.

“Last year’s ‘end of the world’ campaign earned us coverage unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and this campaign, though not as immediate, has been very timely, and continues to build similar to that campaign,” said Abbott.

Abbott said the coverage is “valuable exposure that money just can’t buy” and helps to keep the resort “top of mind” in the early part of this summer season.

As phase two of the campaign, the town’s advertising company, MGH, has planned to take both Mayor Rick Meehan and the actor who plays Rodney the Lifeguard (NYC-based actor Blake Adams) on the road to Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Baltimore on June 22-24 to do a three-city press tour and will also set up a lifeguard stand in the heart of each city and put on an “Ocean City Experience” type of spectacle.

“It will be a very intense couple of days, and we are getting exposure that MGH had negotiated when they bought ad times, so this is all coverage that we don’t have to pay for,” said Abbott.

Meehan said that he looks forward to the upcoming three-city tour and is happy the Rodney character will be going along to take some of spotlight too.

“I’ve had my 15 minutes of fame [with last year’s end of the world campaign], and I like to tell people that Rodney is my alter-ego,” said Meehan. “The easiest thing I can do is talk about Ocean City, and all I have to do is remind people of the great things the town has to offer and that being a tourist is a lot of fun.  The only hard thing is remembering the exact dates of certain events.”

For all the complete story and all the week’s news, see The Dispatch tomorrow morning.