PRESSIUS RELEASUS

December 11, 2007 – Cincinnati, Ohio – The Fine Arts Fund selects Cincinnati-based advertising firm, the Creative Department, as its agency of record.

The Fine Arts Fund has named Cincinnati-based advertising firm, The Creative Department, as its agency of record. The Creative Department’s branding ballet involves creating marketing materials for the 2008 Annual Campaign and redesigning the website for the oldest united arts fund in the nation.

“The Fine Arts Fund has been a champion of the arts in Cincinnati for decades,” said Steve Deiters, Partner and Chief Creative Thinker at The Creative Department. “We’re extremely excited to sing their praises and help them exceed their campaign goals in 2008.”

Founded over 80 years ago as the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, the Fine Arts Fund serves to strengthen the arts in the region through united fundraising, support services, and the responsible investment and allocation of resources. In 2007, they granted more than $11 million to the Greater Cincinnati arts community. In the upcoming campaign, which kicks off February 10, 2008, they aim to build on that success while having a little more fun with the way they market themselves. And that’s where the Creative Department takes the stage.

The humorous new advertising campaign features average people carrying larger than life icons of the arts, such as a helmet-clad opera singer, Rodin’s The Thinker, and an actor portraying Hamlet, all under the banner of, "Support the Arts." The message spans collateral materials, direct mail, print, online video, the Fine Arts Fund website, and will eventually branch out into non-traditional advertising media once the campaign begins.

After hearing feedback that previous materials were too serious, the Fine Arts Fund tapped the Creative Department to create a more humorous campaign. "We're reaching a really broad audience of individuals and we need to get their attention," said Scott Provancher, Fine Arts Fund vice president and campaign director. “The Creative Department really understands how to do that and help us deliver our message.”

Founded in 1992, the Creative Department is an award-winning ad agency that has built business by breathing life into brands and framing communications in delightfully compelling ways – whether traditional, interactive, or guerrilla. Their rebel band of 18 (and counting) highly creative individuals includes creative directors, brand directors, writers, art directors, content managers, project managers, designers, and interactive marketers and developers. Their now-bursting portfolio includes advertising campaigns for the world’s best clients including The BMW Store and Schmitt Söhne Reisling, website launches for Silkflowers and i-wireless, as well as local initiatives with Busken Bakery, the Fine Arts Fund, and several divisions of Procter & Gamble.