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, to promote the city as a tourist destination. The decision comes after a selection committee, appointed by City Administrator David Montgomery, chose Madden Media over local firms in a request for proposal (RFP) process. Mayor Roger Reinert remains optimistic about the council’s support for the committee’s recommendation, despite his previous preference for a local company to handle the city’s marketing.
Reinert emphasized the importance of a fair and professional process, noting that local firms were given additional points in the scoring system. “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, with Marty Weintraub, founder of a local marketing agency and one of the five finalists, voicing concerns over the potential diversion of financial resources and high-paying jobs away from Duluth’s local economy.
Weintraub also raised questions about 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,” Weintraub stated.
Council evaluates Madden Media contract
City councilors, such as Mike Mayou, have expressed concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the firm’s ability to focus on Duluth amidst other clients in overlapping markets. However, Madden Media’s CEO, Dan Janes, assured that each destination is unique and offers 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, partnering with Madden Media and the city. Mayor Reinert views the proposed agreement as a transitional step towards reestablishing a local destination-marketing organization in the future. As the City Council awaits this key decision, the debate surrounding the importance of local perspective in authentic storytelling and the fair allocation of resources continues to be a central point of discussion in Duluth’s tourism marketing landscape.
