New director turns Springfield’s Best around

Pollard has added 11 new members to the 47 members the group boasted Dec. 27 when she took her post as executive director. She’s also convinced two exiting members to stick around and gotten eight more to increase their membership price level.

Pollard said she’s done this by refocusing the group’s resources on advertising – its sole purpose when Pollard helped form it in 1994 with founder Jackie Taylor Johnson.

For several years, Springfield’s Best has been branching into charitable and social arenas. That, coupled with complaints from members that said they weren’t getting enough exposure, led to infighting and crumbling membership commitments.

“We’re not a breakfast club and we’re not the chamber of commerce,” Pollard said. “We’re a cooperative marketing group.”

Springfield’s Best’s board approved most of Pollard’s consolidation plan March 14.

Pollard’s main thrust has been consolidating three membership packages that she said led to imbalance and unhappiness.

Previously, Springfield’s Best offered a $100 membership, which entitled members to a window sticker and inclusion in a list of members in print ads; a $250 membership, which included advertising through either print or broadcast media based a rotation; and a $400 membership, which entitled members to both broadcast and print advertising.

The group will now offer only a modified $250 membership that entitles businesses to inclusion in all forms of advertising on a rotating basis, though it will offer double rotation exposure for $400 per month.

Click here for the full story from March 20.