More on the Bullock contract

Last week, we published an article called “The $350K logo,” which dealt with a contract held by E. W. Bullock Associates for marketing services for the Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport.

At City Council committee meetings earlier this week, there was substantive discussion of the contract, including the media buy commission rate and Mr. Bullock’s overall performance. The contract overages and year two amount were approved, but they weren’t rubberstamped, and we’re happy to see that. Past Councils have rarely questioned or examined such contracts, and we are pleased to have strong Council oversight.

In the interest of fairness, we want to clarify what services E. W. Bullock Associates has provided under the contract. Our title – “The $350K logo” – was perhaps unfair. In the first year of the contract, which was originally $350,000 and is now $410,000, Bullock designed the logo, but also designed various print, online, television, and outdoor advertising which incorporated the logo. Additionally, a large percentage of the contract was “passed through” Bullock as media buys, money used to purchase advertising.

Included below is the marketing presentation Airport staff presented to City Council, which details some of Bullock’s work.

The point of our story was to raise the issue, to encourage City Council to examine this and other contracts, and to note that this contract, and probably Bullock’s ESP contract, were ill-gotten. Would the City Council have chosen E. W. Bullock Associates over a firm which a review committee ranked higher if not for Mr. Bullock’s friends on the previous Council? We think not, and we hope that the new Council will reject those sorts of backroom dealings.

PNS Marketing 2009