Eric Mower and Associates places first in rankings

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Jan 31, 2003

A promotion campaign by Eric Mower and Associates (EMA) has been named the best publicity campaign of 2002 by the League of American Communication Professionals (LACP). The campaign, on behalf of the New York State Canal Corporation, promoted the Empire State's 524-mile-long canal system. The Canal Corporation enlisted EMA to increase tourism and visibility, as well as build awareness of the positive economic effects of the canal. The campaign resulted in a 3.1-percent increase of boat traffic.

EMA was honored as part of the annual Magellan Awards competition, which includes hundreds of entries from some of the bestrecognized, worldwide agencies and organizations. Entries are submitted into one of seven categories, with awards for each category.

EMA's campaign also won the platinum award in the governmental-relations category.

The canal system includes four historic waterways Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca Canals-and spans 524 miles, linking the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes, and Niagara River with communities across the state.

EMA promoted the canal's season opening, its new Web site, the 18day New York State Canal Cruise in July, an economic-development study completed by EMA staff, and a radio advertisingcampaign that included a sweepstakes developed by EMA.

EMA provides advertising, public relations, sales promotion, media, direct marketing, interactive services, and market research to clients across the United States and Canada. It has offices in Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester,

Albany, Atlanta, and Portsmouth, N.H. Ranked by PRWeek magazine in the top 5 percent of public-relations agencies nationwide, and in Adweek among the top 75 agencies in America. The agency has 175 full-time professionals and reports capitalized billings of $13 million in 2002. EMA is the largest marketing communications agency in New York State outside of Manhattan. EMA is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies; a member of IN, a worldwide network of 62 leading independent advertising agencies, and a member of IPREX, a worldwide partnership of independent publicrelations firms.