What is Mississippi, Believe It!™?
Mississippi, Believe It!™ is a public service campaign designed to inform and educate the citizens of Mississippi, as well as the rest of the country, about the wonderful people, aspects and facts associated with the state of Mississippi.

The Campaign includes 17 public service announcements – 11 original ads plus three ads debuted in late 2006 and three ads debuted in 2008 – created to run in both newspapers and magazines. A full set of the Mississippi, Believe It!™ posters will be sent to every public and private K-12 school and every college and university in the state this year. The campaign also includes a website that houses the posters in a downloadable format, as well as links to other sites which list little-known facts about the state. The campaign was recently featured in The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, and the International Herald Tribune.

Who created the Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign?
The Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign was designed by The Cirlot Agency, a Mississippi-based, full-service, marketing, public relations and corporate communications firm. They are known throughout the nation as one of the top three advertising agencies in the defense industry, boasting such clients as Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to name a few. The Agency, which is celebrating its 24th year in business this year, created the communication pieces as a gift to Mississippi in an effort to thank the state for supporting its business for over two decades.

How did The Cirlot Agency reach its decision to create the Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign?
A conversation between a 12 year-old boy from Connecticut who asked the Mississippi businessman sitting next to him on an airplane if the businessman, “still saw the KKK on the streets every day” … and whether or not he “hates all black people” was all the motivation the businessman needed. This stunning revelation was the catalyst to the businessman fighting back against the erroneous stereotypes that plague Mississippi. After months of research and numerous meetings with prominent citizens across the state, the businessman, who happened to be the COO of The Cirlot Agency, determined that the first step in changing Mississippi’s perception was to change that of its own citizens.

The Cirlot Agency’s intention was to present this Campaign to the state as a gift. The Agency has made a conscious decision – and is, in fact, very adamant – that the announcements and posters not bear the logo of either The Cirlot Agency or that of Service Printers of Flowood, MS, who graciously supplied all the paper for and printed over 50,000 posters, pro bono.

How were the Mississippi, Believe It!™ public service announcements distributed?
In 2005, within the state of Mississippi, the announcements were sent to select newspapers, magazines and trade publications, along with the Associated Press and other wire services. Television stations, Mississippi Public Broadcasting and university and college publications also received the campaign. The posters were sent to all public and private K-12 schools and every college and university in the state to be displayed throughout the schools.

Outside the state of Mississippi, the announcements were sent to the nation’s top 100 daily newspapers, top consumer websites, and the top news, travel, business and economic magazines. They were also sent to national talk shows and broadcast news outlets with Mississippi ties, such as to FOX News Channel’s Shepard Smith and ABC’s Robin Roberts. Additional posters were made available to national events with Mississippi ties, such as the Mississippi Picnic held annually in New York City.

In 2008, the process is being repeated. The sets of 17 posters are being sent to all public and private K-12 schools and every college and university in the state, as well as state and national media.

Why send the Mississippi, Believe It!™ posters to schools?
Through an agreement with the Mississippi Department of Education, The Cirlot Agency has distributed a full set of the Mississippi, Believe It!™ posters to every school in the state and will do so again this year. Service Printers of Flowood, MS, donated all the paper and printing for over 50,000 posters.

The Cirlot Agency believes it is important for the children of Mississippi to be aware of the facts about the state – including the people, accomplishments, capabilities and positive history – so that they will be proud of their home state and its heritage. By informing children of the many good things about the state, they will become “homegrown” ambassadors for the state. It is also important that the children of Mississippi know that they can aspire to be anything they want to be – as evidenced in the state’s innumerable success stories.

What does Mississippi, Believe It!™ mean for economic development?
Every economic development authority, convention and visitors bureau, city, county, professional association, private business, etc., in Mississippi could benefit economically if the misconceptions could be changed. The Cirlot Agency’s vision would be for the aforementioned to include aspects of the Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign in their daily business. For example, the public service announcements can be used as hot links on websites or homepages to dispel myths and create awareness of Mississippi.

How will the ads benefit businesses?
As a business, The Cirlot Agency has, as have many other Mississippi businesses, faced discrimination based solely on location. Some outside the state question Mississippi businesses’ ability to deliver quality work, as well as their overall intelligence, in general. Mississippi’s businesses are unfairly saddled with a burden that other businesses across the country rarely have to overcome. Although Mississippi has progressed perhaps more than any other state over the last 50 years, Mississippi is stuck in a 50-year time warp, as far as image is concerned.

Many people have an incorrect perception of Mississippi. This campaign is designed to help combat this misconception by demonstrating that there are many positive things about Mississippi that the public may not know. Through www.mississippibelieveit.com, Mississippi’s businesses will be able to print the posters and include them in their business proposals in order to help “sell” their home state.

What is asked of the community?
Throughout the 191 years of Mississippi’s statehood, untold numbers of the state’s citizens have made marvelous medical advances, entertained the masses, invented products that do everything from make lives better to improve space travel … and that’s just to name a few of the state’s successes. But all too often, Mississippi is only thought of regarding a short period in her history in which civil rights atrocities took place. In many parts of the country, this is all Mississippi is known for … and, unfortunately, this negative perception has greatly affected how Mississippi’s own citizens view their state.

Until Mississippi’s own citizens are proud of the successes, the rest of the country cannot be expected to change their perceptions about Mississippi. Therefore, The Cirlot Agency asked newspapers across the state to donate space, as they have donated time and resources, to help educate people and share positive information about Mississippi. The ultimate goal is to create “citizen ambassadors” for the state. As such, it is the Agency’s hope that these “citizen ambassadors” would visit the website, www.mississippibelieveit.com, download the posters and email them from coast to coast. If it can be done with the “joke of the day,” so it can be done to help the state. This type of “viral marketing” is being used every day for much less important ventures, so The Cirlot Agency is asking citizens’ help in making Mississippi, Believe It!™ a success.

How will Mississippi, Believe It!™ affect Mississippians?
For the general public, the information contained in the Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign should provide a form of intellectual ammunition to defend the state any time its image is in question.

How might the media and other organizations help promote Mississippi, Believe It!™?
The Cirlot Agency is asking that newspapers across the state again donate space to help educate Mississippi’s own citizens and share positive information about Mississippi. The ultimate goal is to create “citizen ambassadors” for the state. A year ago, the Agency simply hoped that these “citizen ambassadors” would visit the website, www.mississippibelieveit.com, download the posters and email them from coast to coast. To date, through the website and emails, an estimated 100 million people have seen the posters, making Mississippi, Believe It!™ a success.

What is the monetary value of the Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign?
Since the campaign began in 2005, the estimated donated value of the Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign is over $550,000 to date. The Cirlot Agency has donated over $500,000 in time and resources to bring this campaign to fruition. Service Printers, Inc., of Flowood, MS, donated over $50,000 in printing services and paper costs for the posters.

Will the Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign continue?
Now in its third year, the Mississippi, Believe It!™ Campaign has opened an online store, www.mississippibelieveit.com/order/, where anyone can purchase Mississippi, Believe It!™ merchandise. T-shirts, caps, and other gift items are available for sale as a fundraiser for the campaign. The hope is that the online store will be so successful that the Agency will be able to buy advertising space in national newspapers and magazines to further spread the word about Mississippi. All the proceeds from the store go toward expanding the campaign nationally, as well as covering expenses, such as packaging and postage. No one involved with the campaign will profit from the sale of any merchandise.

Why were some great Mississippians and stories left out?
We realize there is a plethora of great Mississippians and stories not featured in the ads. So many, in fact, that it is next to impossible to include them all. Isn’t it a wonderful “problem” not to have enough space to feature all of our extraordinary stories? Should you like to voice your opinion on a special Mississippian, or a great Mississippi story not included in the ads, please visit the website at www.mississippibelieveit.com and click on the “Know Another Great Mississippi Story?” section.

Where can I purchase the Mississippi, Believe It!™ posters?
The posters created are not for sale. As long as the campaign continues to be used in an educational nature, The Cirlot Agency will be free to expand and update the campaign. Due to celebrity images being used, any actions involving monetary gain would prohibit us from being able to continue this campaign. The Cirlot Agency and Service Printers have agreed that this campaign will only be used for educational purposes. For personal use, anyone may download and print 8 1/2 x 11 copies of the Mississippi, Believe It!™ posters free of charge at the website, www.mississippibelieveit.com.