There’s no other market like New York. That’s always been true and certainly was evident throughout the pandemic—only the latest of enormous challenges New Yorkers had to face, navigate. and eventually bounce back from, just like we always do.

NY Interconnect (NYI) is a New York company with New York drive, determination, and wit. Even as we serve our partners and clients in this spirit, we also take the time annually to market ourselves and apply the same vibe to our campaigns and creative. As a company and a marketing team, often recognized for going above and beyond, we pride ourselves on doing more than is expected. So, we infuse that rigor into our campaigns, which have become an annual initiative.

With a clear view of all that New Yorkers have had on their minds, we saw a powerful and timely opportunity. Our 2021 campaign now fully underway, “One Less Thing to Worry About,” is our own little masterwork in omnichannel creative, aiming to strike exactly the right chords of the moment for the New York media industry audience. 

Inside “One Less Thing to Worry About”

Our strategy was driven by the reality that the TV media space is constantly evolving. Our advertisers have so much to keep up with and take care of when it comes to staying up on the ever-evolving technology in the media-buying world. Strategically, we worked to find a way to speak directly to the buyer, the planner, the strategist, and to let them know that, “Hey, we’re on top of it. Just leave it to us. We’re experts in this space, and we know what you need for the success of your brand.”

The plan itself spans digital targeted to media buyers on the outlets they frequent, as well as social media, TV spots, print, and email also targeted to subscribers of media industry-specific outlets. We have produced two different creative messages: one that’s industry-specific and another that’s more playful and geared towards B2B audiences.

The intention is to address the overwhelming feelings that everyone is experiencing these days, and to try to provide whatever levity we can, especially during a time when fun is sorely lacking.  Currently, there are a million things on people’s minds as we navigate through our days, still not entirely back to normal.

With this campaign, NYI aspired to use humor to counteract that daunting laundry list of worries, while reassuring our B2B audience for example, that a media strategy shouldn’t be one of them. The subtext of course is that NYI can provide that relief.

Plus, as a New York company, it’s important for us to be the keeper of the philosophy that you just can’t keep New York down. We’re still here, and we’re handling every obstacle that comes our way.  And when it comes to your campaign strategy, you can count on NYI, because we are (quite literally) with you, inside New York and inside this industry—and we get it.

We anticipate the campaign running for a few more weeks, and so far, the reaction has been great—with roughly 500K impressions and a great deal of anecdotal feedback from exactly the industry circles we’re targeting. Of course, our clients and friends have come to expect New York humor from our campaigns. This particular campaign speaks to our tone, while being sensitive to our reality.   

So, what’s next? Our next campaign is still in the planning stages, but with the industry having gained strength in 2021, New York coming back stronger than ever, and NYI having insight into consumer behavior and how that data can inform campaign strategies for brands, we know we will have a lot to work with.

About the Author

Renee Haas is creative director at New York Interconnect. She’s passionate about bringing smart ideas and solutions to life through design, delivering work that engages an audience, evolves and elevates a brand, and produces tangible results. Haas directs and manages internal creatives and external vendors, overseeing the design and production of everything from internal and external communications, to presentations and websites, to event design and traditional print. Prior to NYI, Haas has served as a senior designer for brands such as Altice, Tourneau, CNBC, The New York Times, Dow Jones, Alger, Cablevision, News 12, amNewYork, International Paper, and Berlex Pharmaceuticals.