Latest news with #StillOpen
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Mouth to market: A Cannes Lions B2B Special
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity recognises a wide spectrum of creative work, extending beyond Grand Prix winners to include notable campaigns that earn silvers and bronzes. In " BE Extraordinary ," a series collaborating with Harsh Kapadia, CCO, Grey India, we highlight work that warrants discussion for its execution and results. This segment focuses on B2B campaigns, examining their strategic approaches and impact on businesses. Still Open - JCDecaux, DAVID Madrid "Still Open" was a B2B initiative from Madrid that addressed the significant impact of severe flooding on small, street-level businesses, many of which were forced to cease operations. JCDecaux, an outdoor advertising company, in collaboration with DAVID Madrid, responded by converting closed physical storefronts into active commerce channels using their Out-of-Home (OOH) ad spaces. They displayed images of the affected shops and their owners on billboards, particularly in high-traffic areas like Madrid's subway system. Commuters could then donate the price of a product that the shops typically sold, directly to the owners. This initiative utilised premium ad space to support struggling entrepreneurs, demonstrating OOH's capacity to maintain business continuity during emergencies and showcasing its value beyond traditional advertising. This B2B initiative from Madrid addressed the significant impact of severe flooding on small, street-level businesses, many of which were forced to cease operations. JC Decaux, an outdoor advertising company, responded by converting closed physical storefronts into commerce channels using their Out-of-Home (OOH) ad spaces. They displayed images of the affected shops and their owners on billboards, particularly in high-traffic areas like Madrid's subway. Commuters could then donate the price of a product that the shops typically sold, directly to the owners. This initiative utilised premium ad space to support struggling entrepreneurs, demonstrating OOH's capacity to maintain business continuity during emergencies and showing its value beyond traditional advertising. Estibadores - Mibanco, Circus Grey Perú In Peru, a government law was enacted to limit the weight that 'handcart' workers, often informal port or market workers, could carry. While intended to improve their health, this measure inadvertently reduced their income, as their remuneration was directly tied to the weight transported. Mi Banco, a leading bank focused on entrepreneurs and financial inclusion, in collaboration with Circus Grey Perú, addressed this issue by transforming these handcarts into mobile advertising mediums. By making the carts' surfaces available as ad spaces, workers could secure additional income through the sale of advertising. This allowed them to comply with the new weight limits, carry a lighter physical load, and still maintain their earnings. The initiative not only provided a steady income source but also aimed to foster financial inclusion for this essential but often overlooked segment of the workforce. By integrating its services into the daily operations of these small-scale entrepreneurs, Mi Banco positioned itself as a tangible supporter of their well-being and economic progress. Act Like You Know, GoDaddy Airo - GoDaddy (USA) GoDaddy, a recognised provider of website creation tools, launched "GoDaddy Airo - Act Like You Know" to demonstrate the ease of building websites using its new AI-powered features within a complex technological landscape. The campaign's core involved GoDaddy creating a fictional brand to showcase the simplicity of its GoDaddy Airo AI platform. This was achieved by launching a real product: Walter Goggins' Goggle Glasses. Partnering with actor Walton Goggins, GoDaddy established an entire sunglasses company. This included everything from product development to a fully functional e-commerce website and integrated social media content, all constructed using GoDaddy Airo. The campaign functioned as a direct product demonstration, illustrating GoDaddy Airo's practical application by making professional website creation accessible to a broader user base, even those without prior experience. GoDaddy, known for its website creation tools, aimed to demonstrate the ease of building websites using its new AI-powered features amidst a complex technological landscape. GoDaddy created a fictional brand, "Airo," and then showcased the simplicity of its AI platform by launching a real product: Walter Goggins' Goggle Glasses. Partnering with actor Walton Goggins, they established an entire sunglasses company, from product development to a fully functional e-commerce website and social media content, all built using GoDaddy Airo. This campaign functioned as a direct product demonstration, illustrating AI's practical application by making website creation accessible to a broader user base. The Deskbreak Clause - Asics (Golin London / LePub Milan) Asics, a well-known sports footwear company, expanded into the B2B sector with "The Deskbreak Clause," an initiative designed to address the health implications associated with prolonged sitting in professional environments. Recognising that extended sedentary behavior is a significant modern health challenge, Asics, in collaboration with Golin London and LePub Milan, developed a practical solution for corporate wellness. The core of the campaign involved encouraging businesses to incorporate a specific "Deskbreak Clause" directly into their employment contracts. This clause formally encouraged employees to take a 15-minute movement break during their workday. Asics supported this recommendation with data from King's College London, which indicated that just 15 minutes of physical activity could mitigate some of the negative effects of extended sitting. By promoting this concrete, data-backed approach, Asics encouraged businesses to adopt healthier policies for their workforce. The B2B campaign subtly connected Asics' products to tangible health benefits, presenting movement as an essential component of a healthy work-life, thereby positioning the brand as a partner in corporate well-being. (At BE Extraordinary, a series about the winners at Cannes Lions in collaboration with Harsh Kapadia, CCO, Grey India, we peer outside the Grand Prix, and look at clutter breaking work that picked the silvers and the bronzes, but don't often get discussed.)
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania state parks see rise in campsite reservations across state. Here's why
State parks and forests in Pennsylvania have experienced a nearly 30% increase overall in campsite reservations over last year which may lead to a record-breaking summer. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) has about 7,100 campsites and as of the end of March, 24% of them have already been reserved between Memorial Day and Labor Day. DCNR state parks director John Hallas said the agency is seeing an increase in people wanting to reserve a variety of campsites across the state. 'I think in general it's all types of campsites and certainly in all the parks that have been popular,' he said, including Bald Eagle and Prince Gallitzin state parks with lakes and reservoirs. 'Those parks that have a large impoundment, a resource you can be close to in an overnight status, have certainly been of interest.' The DCNR is also seeing an increased interest in campsites close to other attractions. For example, Trough Creek State Park is not right on the side of an impoundment but is relatively close to Raystown Lake where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has temporarily closed some of its campsites because of a federal hiring freeze. 'That little park, and it's a little park (541 acres), with its 189% increase, was sort of a shocking number. We've only seen numbers like that during COVID,' he said about Trough Creek. 'Because of its proximity, you can get to a Raystown launch area with your boat,' he said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, which oversees operations of numerous Flood Risk Management and recreation sites throughout the Susquehanna and Potomac River Basins, has closed several campgrounds and beaches because of staffing shortages. At Raystown Lake in Hesston, Seven Points, Susquehannock, and Nancy's Boat-to-Shore Campgrounds will remain closed until further notice. At Tioga-Hammond and Cowanesque Lakes in Tioga, Tompkins Campground, including its swim beach and boat ramp, will remain closed until further notice. But in general, more people are reserving state park campsites than in previous years. 'Across the board in our other parks, it's not any one facility type, it's not full-service hookups versus electric sites versus rustic or camping cottages, or yurts. We're seeing a general increase across the board in reservations for all of those,' Hallas said. 'I certainly attribute it to great public awareness, the Pennsylvania Great American Getaway that Gov. Shapiro launched last year and the Still Open, Still Awesome campaign that we just launched this year to let our visitors know of our readiness to receive them in our overnight accommodations,' he said. In central Pennsylvania, the DCNR noted a 37% increase in state park campsite bookings in March with 4,367 reservations compared to 3,180 reservations in March 2024. That area includes the federal U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers properties that aren't scheduled to be open this summer. In eastern Pennsylvania, state park registrations in March were 4,810 compared to 3,515 in March 2024 for a similar 37% increase. 'You think about your classic Pocono parks, Hickory Run and Promise Land, I think it's a variety of factors and that sort of an acknowledgment that we're ready and that reminder that 'We're still open, and we're always awesome,'' he said about the state's campaign. 'The eastern side of the state has the heaviest population so we're drawing those in-state users to our overnight accommodations. That Philadelphia market has historically traveled to the Poconos for their public land experiences in state parks and state forests." In northcentral Pennsylvania, the DCNR recorded 3,345 registrations in state parks in March compared to 2,581 in March 2024 for a 30% increase. Hallas said parks with impoundments have been seeing the surge in interest like Hills Creek State Park in Wellsboro. Western Pennsylvania has had a 14% increase with 3,167 March state park reservations compared to 2,778 in March 2024. The good news for campers is that the parks are not fully booked. 'We still have room for more. Over weekends and especially holiday weekends we probably are getting very tight, but certainly during the weekdays, for people planning week-long vacations or multi-day vacations that they can take the time and be on a park or state forest during the week, there's greater availability certainly during the weekdays than the weekend at this juncture,' he said. A state park campground host camper isn't surprised by the increase in people wanting to stay overnight at a park. Terry Sellers of Hopewell, Bedford County, serves with his wife, Linda, as the Kooser State Park hosts in Somerset County for two months of the camping season. 'We're retired and it gives us something to do and we enjoy being around people,' he said. They've been camping for about 30 years and have been helping others as hosts for the past four years. He likes the rustic nature that comes with staying in a state park. 'We just like to get away, we're not big touristy people. We just get outside and enjoy it,' he said about relaxing. Camping is a great way to reconnect with family members. Randy and Jessica Baker of Ligonier enjoy camping with her parents and children at Kooser. 'We've been camping since I was born,' she said about camping for roughly 50 years. 'We like the quietness, the calmness. There isn't a lot of activity and it's not loud. It's more outdoorsy,' she said. They also go to other state parks like Keystone and some other federal sites like Loyalhanna Lake and Youghiogheny River Lake and spend time fishing. Her mother, Donna O'Brocto of Acme said they enjoy state parks. 'They are all clean,' she said. 'We've been camping here for 51 years.' They also enjoy family meals with the food being made over a fire including chicken, barbecued ribs, steaks, chili and fish. She isn't surprised the DCNR is seeing more interest in campsites. 'We've seen it since COVID,' she said. Her daughter agreed. 'I think a lot more people are discovering it, too, because of social media, RV sites, TikTok. I think people are discovering they (state parks) are quieter than other campgrounds and the price is great,' Baker said. Her husband Randy, added, 'When you come out of this, you don't need a vacation from the vacation. You feel like you rested.' The agency is looking to expand its camping facilities where possible. Susquehanna Riverlands in York County became a state park in 2022 and work is underway to make overnight accommodations. 'Everything from walk-in sites to full service hook up RV sites,' he said. 'We hope to have that campground under construction in the 2026 timeframe,' he said with campsites and more trails being open in the following two years. The DCNR is also looking at creating about half of a dozen Great Gatherings campsites over the next three years where small groups or several family members could set up camps near each other. The first one just opened at Shawnee State Park in Bedford County. 'Those are large multi-generational, multi-family sites that can accommodate up to 15 folks. We recognize that growing trend of people wanting to travel together and be on the same site and not have to traverse between campsites between grandma and grandpa, the parents and the kids, you can have three generations camping in that one campground. For them all to be on the same Great Gathering site, is important and we recognize that,' Halls said. Reservations for state park campsites can be made online at or by calling 888-PA-PARKS (888-727-2757). Hallas reminds campers not to wait too long to make a reservation. 'Once you're there, I'm sure they will have a great time making memories with friends and family and gaining the experiences they want to get out of their time in Pennsylvania's state parks,' he said. Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@ and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Pa. state park state forests see rising interest in campsites
