Readers' Choice 2025

TLDR:

• Redesigned the full Readers’ Choice campaign across print, digital, email, and social

• Created unified branding that aligned with the newspaper redesign

• Managed five stage contest messaging and 76 social assets

• Used AI during drafting and mid campaign pivots to refine tone, clarity, and performance

• Built and embedded all web graphics, links, and promotional materials

• Created a business resource landing page with downloadable ads, social graphics, window signs, and receipt slips

• Generated our first Second Street ad package sales through that resource page alone

• Analyzed nomination and vote data daily and flagged suspicious patterns

• Designed framed certificates, luncheon program, winner slideshow, and full print section

• Achieved 8,687 nominations (106%) and 240,656 votes (34%)

🧠 The Brainstorm

The newspaper’s new size and redesigned style called for a fresh approach. In past years, the section used inconsistent fonts, red text, and even script headers or full page title pages. This year, I wanted the section to feel like a true part of the paper, cohesive but still distinct. I used our standard fonts, added champagne headers for contrast, and tested several color options before choosing black for the winner and runner up names to keep everything clean and classic. I collaborated with others to finalize the layout and presentation. One major challenge was fitting all of the content into a new section size while working with fewer images and maintaining our 60% ad to content ratio, all while preserving the pull out format and sense of community.

🎨 The Creative Process

The project began with artwork for Second Street. I kept the branding consistent with previous years to maintain recognition and trust. I managed category accuracy, wrote blurbs for all five contest phases, and designed web graphics for Coming Soon, Nominations, Voting, Thank You, and Results. I also created promotional graphics for our main website.

I developed a five part email campaign with tailored messages for each stage and wrote a fraud policy for the official rules. Once the contest launched, I embedded it into our site, linked to prior year results, and created resources for businesses. I built a small landing page where local businesses could download pre made promotional materials, including social media graphics, receipt slips, window signs, and table tents. I added an advertising contact line as well. This was what led to our first Second Street ad package sales. Three businesses purchased bundled placements that included digital, print, and email ads without any direct outreach from the advertising staff.

I designed six pages of nomination, voting, and winner package sales flyers. I monitored submissions daily, checked for accuracy, watched for irregular vote patterns, and used AI to speed up data comparison tasks. I flagged several questionable voting patterns, most of which turned out to be intense coordinated efforts instead of bots.

After the winners were confirmed, I designed the framed certificates, coordinated the winner photo shoot and luncheon, created the luncheon program, and built a slideshow featuring winners, runner ups, and sponsors. I handled pagination and ad production for the entire print section and kept the visual language consistent across print, digital, email, and social.

🧩 Tools and Workflow

Tools Used: ChatGPT (GPT 4 and GPT 5), Adobe Creative Suite

Workflow:
I used generative AI throughout the project to support early idea development for social posts, contest blurbs, and parts of the five stage email campaign. I wrote the initial direction, then asked the AI for variations in tone, length, and clarity. I reviewed everything carefully and rewrote the final copy myself so the messaging matched our voice and contest rules.

As the campaign unfolded, I used AI to help diagnose why some posts were underperforming. I compared timing, tone, and format, then asked for alternative versions and adjusted our approach. This helped me pivot quickly and keep engagement steady across the full schedule of 76 branded posts.

Brand and Rights Compliance:
All final wording was written or rewritten by me. No copyrighted text or outside creative assets were used. AI drafts were used only as a starting point for refinement.

Impact:
Using AI during the early drafting phase helped me move through a heavy creative schedule more quickly while keeping the messaging cohesive. The campaign received 8,687 nominations, a 106% increase from the prior year. It reached 240,656 votes, which was a 34% increase, and saw a reach increase of about 49%.

👀 The Vision

I wanted the section to feel rooted in the redesign while still celebrating the people who make this county unique. That meant prioritizing clarity and community storytelling rather than flash. For social media, I built a campaign using insights from the prior year’s analytics, including best times and formats, and adjusted for reach, frequency, and tone. Every decision, from layout to language, aimed to make the campaign friendly, engaging, and easy to follow.

🏁 The Outcome

The 2025 campaign broke records in every category. We saw a 106% increase in nominations and a 34% increase in votes, with a total of 240,656 votes and 8,687 nominations cast. Social media engagement grew significantly, with 76 branded posts driving a 49% increase in reach and over 264,000 seconds of video viewed.

The internal response was just as strong. Jon Wile, VP of Design at ACBJ, wrote, “THIS LOOKS AWESOME.” Our leadership team and advertisers were thrilled. Visually and strategically, the section felt like the right next step, an evolution of our redesign and a campaign that reflected the energy of our community.