Fuseideas Wins $13 Million BDOT Account
The Minister of Business Development and Tourism Wayne Furbert named Boston-based Fuseideas as the Bermuda Department of Tourism’s [BDOT] advertising agency of record in North America, with an estimated one year budget of $13 million.
According to Minister Furbert, Fuseideas “impressed the search committee with an in-depth marketing solution to drive tourism that included a mix of segmentation, media, technology, creative and social marketing, all seamlessly brought together.”
Photo above shows L to R: Steve Mason Managing Director of Fuseideas, Dennis Franczak, Founder CEO of Fuseideas, Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert and Monroe Blakes Executive Vice President Fuseideas.
In highlighting the process of how Fuseideas was chosen, Minister Furbert advised that that the BDOT issued an open Request For Proposal [RFP] November 2011, seeking suitable companies to submit bids for the account, and in response, 29 companies answered the RFP.
The company was selected by a ten member panel that included members from the Tourism Board, the Bermuda Hotel Association [BHA], and BDOT technical officers. The contract term will be for one year in the first instance, and the company will be subject to a formal performance review at that time.
The marketing solution, along with Fuseideas’ overall experience in tourism marketing [including Maine Office of Tourism, Collette Vacations, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, and Visit Florida] made the agency stand out.
Minister Furbert said, “We are very excited for Fuseideas to bring their energy, creativity and experience to Bermuda. They will work closely with our Tourism team to develop an eye-catching campaign that will differentiate Bermuda and put us top of mind with our target audience.”
According to Dennis Franczak, Founder CEO of Fuseideas, campaign elements for the BDOT will include “breakthrough creative across all channels, advanced mobile and web technology, in-depth analytics and campaign optimization and social marketing integration.” Work is expected to break in May.
“Our creativity infused with technology is ready to attract more visitors to the pink sand beaches of Bermuda, and we look forward to engaging the entire island when launching this authentic Bermudian campaign,” Mr. Franczak said.
Fuseideas is a 50-person international agency with its main headquarters in Boston, with offices in Prague, Portland, Maine and Los Angeles. Their areas of expertise include tourism, economic development, higher education, retail and lifestyle, multicultural, youth and sports and entertainment marketing.
Current clients include Adidas, Bermuda Department of Tourism, ESPN, Massachusetts State Lottery, HBO Latin America and Univision, Verizon Wireless and Virginia Commonwealth University.
What are they going to do for the $13m, and has Furbert put clauses in the contract for fee refunds if they don’t get results?
The Bermuda govt is telling family business to kick out their guest workers. While this is going on, PLP is hiring foreigners to promote Bermuda!! Why can’t PLP find Bermudians to promote Bermuda?????
There used to be a time, back in the glory days of Bermuda tourism, that we could get the best advertising companies in the world to represent us. And they would produce top quality ads targetted to the high net worth market. Now we can only attract the rinky dinky firms nobody’s ever heard of and put together half a$$ed clip-art based “campaigns” targeting bus riders in second tier markets.
Are you saying that this firm is rinky dink? Their list of current clients is impressive.
Both of you are rainbow pigs. The man is working and I admire him for that. We have seen him work harder then any Tourism Minister the PLP has had to date. Although I will not be voting for the PLP I admire his hard work. I know Furbert personality and we loss a good catch to the PLP.
Now OBA I’m giving you a chance come next election, the only thing that worries me is you will make promises that you can’t keep when you lay out your master plan. Bermudians don’t want to hear you need 10 years to put the train on the track. Fix this crime, build a Max security prison and lock these thugs down 23 hours a day. Stop running a community prison.
Lock a man in room for 23 hours a day and 1 hour for rec time, you will see how many bad boys turn into Babies crying for mother.
MPs on both sides understand this NO MAN IS AFRAID TO GO TO HOTEL WESTGATE.
1 they have their own room
2 my best friend is with me
3 I can sleep all day
4 I don’t have to wash dishes
5 I don’t have to wash clothes
6 I can see my girl friend at the Botanical Gardens if I’m a good boy
7 I can get out early and commit another crime and still have my own room because
I like it so much.
8 I have my own cell phone
$13 MILLION???? COME ON!!!!! If you CANNOT find a company that can do this and MORE for UNDER the ridiculous price then wait and CONTINUE to seek AFFORDABLE PROPOSALS!! Do you REMEMBER WE are in DEBT???????
Why not just do a Super Bowl Ad?
It would save us $10 million
A huge improvement from Global Hue and Kerwin Communications. Well Done Minister Furbert, these are reputable guys.
Gangsters to guantanamo. We took the Uighers, you take the gangsters.
Nothing in this article allows me to pass judgment on the decision made. Certainly Fuseideas are a known and reputable firm, but what they can actually accomplish only time will tell.
I can only hope for the best.
My name is Dennis Franczak, CEO of Fuseideas. We are excited to become part of the island community and develop a campaign you can be proud of. I understand your skepticism from the past, but rest assured, we are looking towards the future and will work with the Islanders to create something that will attract visitors to this wonderful island. This project is of critical importance and we are working very hard to make you all believers.
Thank you for affording this opportunity and give us a chance. We are honored to be part of this and look forward to working with you all.
Best,
Dennis Franczak, CEO, Fuseideas
Dennis, you’ll have to forgive the cynicism you’ll find here and on the blogs. We’ve seen too many abject failures by previous tourism ministers and by the firms they’ve appointed (and that doesn’t even consider the amount of self dealing by those same ministers). Given that background it’s not surprising that people have become more than slightly jaded by anything this government does.
I look forward to seeing you prove that they’ve (finally) done something right in selecting you and your firm.
Good luck Mr Franczak, some of us trust the decision, ignore those who are negative about everything!
If nothing else, Minister Furbert should bring some UBP based common sense to the tourism table. No more idiotic junkets around the world to China, South Africa, Argentina, India & who knows where else. No more race based tourism. No more silly gimmicks at ball games so that somebody can get VIP seating.
Lets go fishing where the fish are & target the income species that can afford Bermuda no matter what they look like.
I don’t know who these new people are but they can certainly do no worse than the useless lot the clowns we had for Ministers hired before.
Of course the best marketing in the world will be spoiled if the product is not as advertised. Producing the product is Bermudas responsibility.
We need to do our part as Bermudians and help to make our guests feel welcome on these shores. We are all part of the problem and we have to be a part of the solution.
Let us see how long it takes this new AD agency to attempt an end run on Bermuda Creative Suppliers^^
I’m just wondering if with all that money being spent why hasn’t Bermuda Hotels seen any rise in guest we all this sturggling and it March>>> Pissed right off and not only that we haven’t had a raise in 4 yrs
I would really like to see a reduction in the cost to vacation here, that to me is the most important challenge in getting people here
They look good and are credible, unlike the agency of a former tourism minister who gave away 10 million to a company which didn’t even have an office! I would only say that a 1 year contract is just plain dumb. You can’t get any kind of a campaign going in one year, and that is the problem with a ministry driven by politicians. We need medium and long term strategies in place, and these take time. All fairness to Wayne, he is not a sophisticated marketing man and his party only wants glossy pictures and some quick results for the summer to showcase in a Fall election. That’s our problem!