Closing in: two big ad agencies compete with smaller entities that are after their market shares.

• Author: Bohi, Heidi

Everything is big in Alaska. So when market research revealed that local fast food customers were hungry for a Big Mac that was even bigger, The Nerland Agency--the advertising firm tasked with promoting the golden arches statewide--came up with the idea for the McKinley Mac, a custom version of the popular 40-year-old sandwich, but with more meat and more sauce. The namesake product, available only in Alaska, was as heavily marketed as the latest teen idol, appearing in TV, radio and newspaper ads, on city buses, in movie theaters and inside every McDonald's restaurant. The name of the sandwich, the tagline "Everything is big in Alaska," and the promotions, all the creative and strategic thinking of the well-known advertising agency, resulted in 50 percent more sales than expected and continues to outsell baseline projections. According to President and CEO Rick Nerland, he's lovin' it: today, the promotion is a model approach for the mega-franchise and continues to receive national attention.

GENERATING 'BUZZ'

Besides the typical footage of wildlife and scenery all set to inspirational music, the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) charged its long-term advertising agency Bradley Reid + Associates with thinking of a head spinning-way to convince baby boomers to visit Alaska sooner than later. Known for going to the creative edge, President and CEO Connie Reid reminded Outsiders that there is no reason to wait by launching the Alaska B4UDIE--Alaska before you die--billboard campaign. When the 14-foot by 48-foot signs, made to look like Alaska license plates, appeared in Seattle, Los Angeles and Minneapolis, the ads were mentioned by Jay Leno during his monologue on The Tonight Show and the campaign was covered by almost every single newspaper in the country. They were the subject of a poll on AOL.com, in which 75 percent of respondents said their opinion of the pitch was highly favorable, and the national Web site set up as part of the effort received 1,000 hits per hour, generating media exposure valued at $15 million. "We wanted to generate some buzz," Reid says of why she came up with the idea. "And we knew this would make peoples' palms sweat a little bit."

[ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

Although it is big clients like Alaska McDonald's and ATIA that continue to keep The Nerland Agency and Bradley Reid + Associates locked in position as the state's two largest advertising and public relations firms, as Alaska's business climate grows, so do the number of smaller firms and sole proprietors rounding out the state's...