JACKSON, Miss. – Where is one of the fastest solar cars in the world built?
Mississippi, Believe It!
Where did this year’s Super Bowl MVP go to school?
Mississippi, Believe It!
Where were the first heart and lung transplants performed?
Mississippi, Believe It!

Despite its numerous accomplishments, because of its tumultuous past, Mississippi can’t seem to shake its negative stereotypes. However, one Mississippi business has spent three years and more than half a million dollars of its own money trying to do just that. And now, it’s at it again.

“It’s often reported that Mississippi is first on every bad list and last on every good list, but we want the country to know the positive attributes that we offer to the nation, which is why we started the Mississippi, Believe It!^™ campaign,” said Rick Looser, chief operating officer, The Cirlot Agency.

“What’s unique about these ads is that they’re in your face, in a gentle Southern way. We’re not afraid to confront the criticism head on,” he added.

With headlines like, “Yes we can read. A few of us can even write,” featuring Mississippi authors like William Faulkner, John Grisham and Eudora Welty, and “No Black. No White. Just the Blues,” which features artists like B.B. King and Bo Diddley, the campaign is sparking attention worldwide.

As politicians and media flock to Mississippi for the first presidential debate at the University of Mississippi in September, Looser hopes this year’s new ads will be just as effective. In addition to releasing the new ads to media and launching them on the campaign’s Web site, www.MississippiBelieveIt.com, a new section has been added to the Web site to encourage an open dialogue about the state’s past and future.

“When I travel across the United States, and I tell people I’m from Mississippi, I get asked questions like, ‘Do you have paved roads? Do you have running water? Do you wear shoes?’ This year’s Mississippi, Believe It!^™ campaign addresses those uneducated remarks,” said Looser.

“Yes, our roads are paved…AND we have the best student drivers under the sun,” reads a headline to one of the new ads. The ad recognizes a group of teenagers from Houston, Miss., who has not only built a road-ready solar car, but who has taken first place in the Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge seven years in a row, beating out teams across the globe.

“Yes, we have running water…right next to the world’s finest kitchen appliances,” reads another ad, referring to the Viking Range Corporation based in Greenwood, Miss. Viking’s cooktops and appliances are continuously featured on Food Network by celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray and Paula Deen, and each one is manufactured in Mississippi.

“We hope that people are touched by our messages and that they leave viewers with a lasting, positive impression to combat the negative baggage that our state has carried for far too long,” said Looser.

Looser is the Chief Operating Officer of a Mississippi-based communications firm, which created this campaign as a gift to the state. The Cirlot Agency developed the initial ads in 2005, and they rely on the voices of the media and the power of the Internet to spread the message. To date, Mississippi, Believe It!^™ has reached an estimated 120 million people worldwide, which is equivalent to $20 Million in advertising.

“The feedback has been tremendous,” said Looser. “Through our Web site, www.MississippiBelieveIt.com, thousands of people around the world, in at least 23 countries and every state in America, have shared their stories and offered their support. We are constantly getting suggestions for new ads.”

The campaign was showcased at the 2008 Governor’s inauguration, is on display at the Jackson-Evers International Airport and was recently added to a textbook used in Mississippi schools.

“One of the many targets for this campaign is our own Mississippi school children,” said Looser. “We want to inspire them. We want them to know that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to.”

With the generosity of Service Printers, a Flowood-based printing company, a set of all 17 posters will be printed and mailed to every public and private school in the state.

“Service Printer’s donation exceeds $50,000 in support of this campaign,” said Looser. “We couldn’t do this without their help. They are a shining example of the generous spirit that keeps Mississippi strong.”

Another generous Mississippian is featured in a new Mississippi, Believe It!^™ad for 2008 titled, “A State of Grace.” It spotlights the late Oseola McCarty of Hattiesburg, Miss., an African-American woman who made a living washing and ironing for more than 75 years. She lived modestly, saved her money and donated $150,000 to The
University of Southern Mississippi for an endowed scholarship.

“In addition to new ads, we revamped previous ads to include Mississippians who continue to reach new heights. This year, we added recent Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey to the notable writers and Eli Manning, this year’s Super Bowl MVP and a University of Mississippi graduate, to the notable athletes,” said Looser.

The Cirlot Agency also revised its entertainment ad by dividing the actors and singers into two ads. “We created a new ad to showcase Mississippi’s great singers because one ad couldn’t contain all of the contributions Mississippi has made to the world of entertainment,” added Looser.

“Y’all may think we talk funny, but the world takes our music seriously,” reads the new ad that highlights artists like Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffet, Faith Hill and 3 Doors Down.

“We acknowledge that these stereotypes were created because of past events that tarnished our state, but we are working together to make progress. We want the country to get to know us as we are today,” said Looser.

The Cirlot Agency, a Mississippi-based, full-service, marketing, public relations and corporate communications firm, represents accounts on a national and international basis, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to some of the world’s largest privately held corporations. www.cirlot.com

Jackson, MS – The Mississippi Senate will formally honor The Cirlot Agency, a Mississippi-based, full-service, marketing, public relations and corporate communications firm, for creating the Mississippi, Believe It!^™ campaign. The Agency designed the pro bono campaign to directly combat the negative stereotypes often associated with the state of Mississippi with public service announcements in the form of print ads and posters.

The commendation, Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 612, will occur on Friday at 10 A.M. in Senate chambers. The resolution commends and thanks Liza Cirlot Looser, CEO, and Rick Looser, COO, and The Cirlot Agency for developing the public service campaign, recognizing the “energy and civic dedication of these ‘citizen ambassadors’ for the State of Mississippi, who have donated their time and talents to educate residents and non-residents and promote a positive image for our state.”

The Mississippi, Believe It!^™ campaign includes fourteen public service announcements — 11 original ads plus three new ads debuted in late 2006 — created to run in both newspapers and magazines, which feature many of the wonderful people, aspects, stories and facts associated with the state of Mississippi. 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, www.mississippibelieveit.com, that houses the posters in a downloadable format, as well as an online store.

Since the campaign’s nationwide launch in December 2006, the campaign has received a long line of coverage, including: The New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, International Herald Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dallas Morning News, Detroit Free Press, Seattle Post, St. Petersburg Times, Nashville Tennessean, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and the New Jersey Herald News. National Public Radio, Fox News Radio, Voice of America Radio and numerous talk radio shows across the country have featured the campaign. It will also be featured in an upcoming segment on NBC’s Today Show.

Mississippi, Believe It!^™ takes common Mississippi stereotypes and twists them to reveal the truth about the state. For instance, the headline of one the newly added posters reads, “Meet a few of our new good ole boys.” The ad explains that Mississippi has more black elected officials than any other state in the country. Women in high-ranking positions are featured, as well as Chief Phillip Martin of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. In the other newly added posters, one features the success of Hartley Peavey and Peavey Electronics. The third new PSA features the late Dr. Arthur Guyton, who is world-renowned for his physiology textbook, which he wrote in 1956 while at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

“Throughout the 189 years of Mississippi’s statehood, untold numbers of the state’s citizens have made marvelous medical advances, entertained the masses, and invented products that do everything from make lives better to improve space travel,” said Rick Looser, COO of the Agency. “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.”

Looser believes that until Mississippi’s own citizens are proud of its successes, the rest of the country cannot be expected to change their perceptions about Mississippi. The ultimate goal is to create “citizen ambassadors” for the state. After the initial launch in 2005, 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 20 million people have seen the posters, making Mississippi, Believe It!^™ a success.

The cost of the Mississippi, Believe It!^™ campaign is estimated at over $315,000 to date. The Cirlot Agency has donated over $275,000 in time and resources to bring this campaign to fruition. Service Printers, Inc., of Flowood, MS, donated over $40,000 in printing services and paper costs for the posters.

For more information on the campaign, please visit www.mississippibelieveit.com.

Jackson, MS – A public service campaign designed to directly combat the negative stereotypes often associated with the state of Mississippi is being expanded with three new public service announcements in the form of print ads and posters.

The Mississippi, Believe It!^™ campaign was designed to inform and educate the citizens of Mississippi, as well as the rest of the country, about the many positive attributes of Mississippi. It now includes four teen public service announcements created to run in both newspapers and magazines. Just as the Agency did a year ago, a full set of the Mississippi, Believe It!^™ posters containing all 14 posters will be sent to every public and private K-12 school and every college and university in the state in the new 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 features many of the wonderful people, aspects, stories and facts associated with the state of Mississippi. The Mississippi, Believe It!^™ campaign was designed pro bono by The Cirlot Agency, a Mississippi-based, full-service, marketing, public relations and corporate communications firm, as a gift to Mississippi in an effort to thank the state for supporting its business over the past two decades. The campaign was recently featured in The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, and the International Herald Tribune.

According to Rick Looser, COO of The Cirlot Agency, the campaign has been fueled just in the past few weeks with the negative comments about Mississippi by Rep. Charles Rangel of New York. “The three new ads were developed weeks before Rep. Rangel made his now infamous comments, but ignorant statements such as his demonstrate the need for a continuing effort such as Mississippi, Believe It!^™,” Looser said. “We plan to send him one of the T-shirts from our new online store — I think the, “Yes, we can read. A few of us can even write.,” T-shirt would be most appropriate,” Looser added.

The campaign takes common Mississippi stereotypes and twists them to reveal the truth about the state. For instance, the headline of one the newly added posters reads, “Meet a few of our new good ole boys.” The ad explains that Mississippi has more black elected officials than any other state in the country. Women in high ranking positions are featured, as well as Chief Phillip Martin of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

In the other newly added posters, one features the success of Hartley Peavey and Peavey Electronics. The ad’s headline reads, “A Mississippi stereo type.” Peavey started his company in 1965 in his dad’s basement in Meridian, MS. Now, his operation stands at 1.5 million square feet and supplies many of today’s music stars with equipment, such as audio mixing consoles, amplifiers, microphones and guitars.

The third new PSA features the late Dr. Arthur Guyton, who is world-renowned for his physiology textbook, which he wrote in 1956 while at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The headline says, “Mississippi. When it comes to modern medicine, we wrote the book.” The ad explains that the Textbook of Medical Physiology has been used for decades in medical schools in the United States and abroad. The best-selling physiology book ever published, this textbook may be the best-selling medical textbook of any kind. UMC physiologist Dr. John Hall has carried on Dr. Guyton’s legacy by updating the textbook with new editions.

“Throughout the 189 years of Mississippi’s statehood, untold numbers of the state’s citizens have made marvelous medical advances, entertained the masses, and invented products that do everything from make lives better to improve space travel,” said Looser. “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.”

Looser believes that until Mississippi’s own citizens are proud of its successes, the rest of the country cannot be expected to change their perceptions about Mississippi. The Cirlot Agency is asking that newspapers across the state again donate space to help educate people 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 20 million people have seen the posters, making Mississippi, Believe It!^™ a success.

Another added feature to the website is an online store, 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. “Our hope is that the online store will be so successful that we will be able to buy advertising space in national newspapers and magazines to further spread the word about Mississippi,” concluded Looser. 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.

While visiting the website, users are encouraged to email other great Mississippi success stories by clicking on “Know Another Great Mississippi Story?” section. “We realize there is a plethora of great Mississippians and stories not featured in the campaign,” continued Looser. “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?”

The cost of the Mississippi, Believe It!^™ campaign is estimated at over $315,000 to date. The Cirlot Agency has donated over $275,000 in time and resources to bring this campaign to fruition. Service Printers, Inc., of Flowood, MS, donated over $40,000 in printing services and paper costs for the posters.

The Cirlot Agency, a Mississippi-based, full-service, marketing, public relations and corporate communications firm, represents accounts on a national and international basis ranging from Fortune 100 companies to some of the world’s largest privately held corporations. www.cirlot.com