Broadcasting executive Bob Bolinger, who has 35 years of management roles for several major San Diego radio station groups, has been elected 2021 president of the San Diego Bowl Game Association, the nonprofit that oversees the annual SDCCU Holiday Bowl college football game and parade.
The 2020 Holiday Bowl was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Bolinger expects the game will be played this December.
“Barring any unforeseen circumstances, unless something happens that we can’t predict right now, I’m confident the football game will be played this year,” Bolinger told Times of San Diego. “I also think we’ll have the parade.”
With the razing of San Diego Stadium in Mission Valley, Bolinger said the game is likely to be played at Petco Park, home of the Padres.
“We’ve been talking to the Padres, who’ve been terrific,” he said. “We’re also watching very closely the guidelines from the state for outdoor spectator events, including capacity limits for the Padres and Del Mar horse racing. Things seem to be changing every day, and we’re hoping things can continue to open-up as the year progresses.”
Bolinger succeeds Dan Moore of Jelley Properties as association president. “It wasn’t fair to Dan to serve as president without a game being played,” said Bolinger who has served on the association’s board of directors since 2014. “We asked Dan to stick around for another year, but he had other commitments. So, now they’re stuck with me.”
“Bob’s enthusiasm, leadership experience and knowledge of the bowl industry position him to be the perfect individual to take the reins in 2021, a year that promises to be filled with change, growth and excitement,” said Mark Neville, CEO of the SDCCU Holiday Bowl.
After 17 years as VP and marketing manager with CBS Radio and Entercom Communications in San Diego, Bolinger last June joined two long-time advertising industry friends, Mike Stafford and Bob Cerasoli, to become a partner in CSB Impact, a San Diego marketing and media management firm.
CSB Impact, with offices in San Diego and Indianapolis, represents Mission Federal Credit Union, Medstar Health, San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego Blood Bank, Fleet Science Center, Decapod plus other local, regional and national clients.
Bolinger’s volunteer community service in San Diego also has included board positions with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego, YMCA of San Diego, The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and Sharp HealthCare.
In addition to Bolinger, other 2021 elected officers to the San Diego Bowl Game Association include: Cherry Park, Qualcomm, as president-elect; John Finkenberg, Alvarado Orthopedic Medical Group, as secretary; and Jackie Reed, T S Restaurants, as treasurer. Newly appointed members to the 21-member board include Mike Green, Baker Tilly U.S., and Alberto Mier y Teran, KFMB Stations.
The Holiday Bowl begin in 1978 for the purpose of generating tourism, visibility and to fill hotel rooms in late December, typically the slowest tourism period of the year in San Diego.
An average of 28,000 hotel rooms have been rented annually over the past decade in connection with the game, which has generated an economic benefit to the San Diego region of $977 million since its founding, according to a statement.
“There may be changes in store for the bowl game and bowl association in 2021, but our goal will remain the same, which is to create even greater impacts for the community,” said Bolinger.
The 2020 Holiday Bowl was to be the first of a six-year cycle matching teams from the Pac-12 and Atlantic Coast Conference. The game was set to be televised by Fox Sports for the fourth consecutive year.
Crowe PR Bolsters Social Media Division
San Diego-based Crowe PR has announced a greater investment in social media and influencer marketing with the hiring of Aryanna Harrell as senior social media manager and the promotion of Perla Chase from social media and influencer coordinator to social media and influencer manager.
Harrell previously spent seven years working in Los Angeles in various digital marketing, branding, social media and influencer marketing roles, both in-house with companies and with agencies serving such clients as The CW, Ralphs, La Crema and West Elm.
“I’m thrilled to join Crowe PR and be part of an innovative agency that’s laser focused on results, especially as social and influencer tactics evolve,” said Harrell, who will be based in Columbia, South Carolina. “This is a pivotal time in the industry, and we have a great opportunity to continue evolving and elevating our customers’ digital footprint.”
“Aryanna brings a powerful combination of great experience and energy to the agency,” said Anna Crowe, Crowe PR founder and CEO. “As the media and marketing landscape evolves, we are continuously reevaluating and enhancing our service offerings to meet our clients’ priorities. We are fortunate to have Aryanna and Perla on our team so that we can better meet those needs and deliver client ROI.”
Crowe PR specializes in healthcare technology, professional services and hospitality and consumer brands that focus on health and wellness, the outdoors and sustainability.
Ad Campaign to Build Public Trust in Vaccines
A new public service advertising campaign launched by the Ad Council, an advertising industry-backed group, will aim to convince Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, telling them “It’s Up to You.”
The new campaign, described by the Ad Council as one of the largest public education efforts in U.S. history, will involve more than 300 major brands, media companies, community-based organizations, faith leaders, medical experts and other trusted messengers.
“With the ‘It’s Up To You’ platform, we’re listening to America’s top questions, understanding their concerns and working to educate and empower people across the country, particularly communities of color who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, so they can make an informed choice about vaccination for themselves and for their families,” Lisa Sherman, the Ad Council’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
“Our extraordinary partners across the communications industry are uniquely positioned to amplify these critical messages at scale. Through this truly unprecedented effort, we can get back to the moments we all miss and save lives.”
Developed pro bono by San Francisco creative agency Pereira O’Dell, the campaign’s messaging includes that one of the best ways to get back to the moments and people we miss is to get more information on vaccines. “It had to be an idea that worked not only for the audience, but allowed for brands and publishers to make it theirs, too,” said P.J. Pereira, creative chairman, Pereira O’Dell.
Creative agency Alma of Miami customized the “De Ti Depende” campaign to resonate with Hispanic communities.
The large, national campaign is producing an array of English and Spanish ads for TV, billboards, bus shelters, social media and publications that will be rolled out over the next few months. A few of the ads are expected to feature celebrities. The spots are expected to run throughout the year.
Consumers will be driven to the website GetVaccineAnswers.org (DeTiDepende.org in Spanish). Content on the website is available in seven languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Haitian Creole and Vietnamese.
As many as 1 in 3 Americans say they definitely or probably won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a recent Associated Press poll. Ad Council research fielded by Ispos Public Affairs revealed roughly 40 percent of the public has not yet made a firm decision to get vaccinated as soon as vaccines are available to them.
Journalism Prof Dean Nelson Leads Press Club Writing Webinar
Dean Nelson, founder and director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University, will share his favorite writing tips for the San Diego Press Club’s next “Write Better Right Now,” a one-hour, writing improvement webinar from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16.
The free webinar, held over the Zoom video-conferencing platform, is open to the public. To register, visit www.sdpressclub.org.
The webinar will include Nelson sharing the best writing tips he’s learned during his 40-year journalism and teaching career, followed by a question-and-answer time. Moderator for the webinar will be Cliff Albert, a San Diego Press Club board member and news director at KOGO-AM Newsradio 600.
The “Write Better Right Now” webinar is part of an ongoing Press Club “Nuts and Bolts” series featuring veteran journalists sharing their favorite writing tips they’ve learned during their careers. Webinars are recorded and a web link will appear on the Press Club website for viewing at a later date.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.