The Duluth City Council is set to vote on a proposed two-year, $3.6 million contract with Madden Media, a tourism marketing firm based in Tucson, Arizona. The firm would promote the city as a tourist destination. The decision follows a selection process managed by a committee appointed by City Administrator David Montgomery.
This committee chose Madden Media over local firms through a request for proposal (RFP) process. Mayor Roger Reinert remains optimistic about the council’s support for the committee’s recommendation. He emphasized the fairness and professionalism of the process.
“We weighted the scoring of proposals in favor of local firms, providing an automatic 10-point bump on a 100-point scale,” Reinert explained. “But Madden presented the highest-scoring proposal determined by an objective, qualified group of six independent evaluators.”
However, the decision has sparked disappointment among local firms. Marty Weintraub, founder of a local marketing agency and one of the five finalists, expressed concerns.
He worries about the potential diversion of financial resources and high-paying jobs from Duluth’s local economy. Weintraub also questioned Madden Media’s involvement in marketing destinations that compete with Duluth. “Duluth deserves a company that’s loyal only to Duluth and doesn’t market competitors in the Twin Cities or other places,” he stated.
City councilors, such as Mike Mayou, have also raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Council vote on Madden proposal
They question Madden Media’s ability to focus on Duluth amidst other clients in overlapping markets.
Madden Media’s CEO, Dan Janes, assured that each destination is unique. He believes there are abundant opportunities to attract different types of visitors. The selection committee’s recommendations will be presented to the council on Dec.
5, with a contract vote expected on Dec. 9. If the council decides against the committee’s choice, the city will need to initiate a new RFP process.
Montgomery assured that Visit Duluth, the city’s long-standing tourism agency, would continue to play a vital role. It would partner with Madden Media and the city. Mayor Reinert views the proposed agreement as a transitional step.
He hopes it will lead towards reestablishing a local destination-marketing organization in the future. As the City Council awaits this key decision, the debate continues. The importance of local perspective in authentic storytelling and the fair allocation of resources remains a central point of discussion in Duluth’s tourism marketing landscape.
