That’s the challenge New York State’s marketing team was facing when they hired the New York City advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. The goal was to create a website with a customizable brochure feature that would position the state in a whole new way – capturing the big picture of what the state had to offer. To tell that story, Saatchi & Saatchi commissioned native New York State copywriter Seth DeCroce. Born in Rochester, NY, DeCroce has lived in various parts of the state all his life, and according to Saatchi & Saatchi Integrated Supervisor Jenna Suharto, “He possessed a unique perspective and passion for New York that came across in the writing.”
“I wanted to tell the story of New York from the point of view of someone who truly loves the state,” says DeCroce, 31. “Someone who, in thirty seconds, could evoke what makes New York a magical place to visit. I made some amazing discoveries along the way. My top three would have to be:
1) The Chautauqua Institution – No idea it even existed. This place is like an intellectual jewel in the rough.
2) Panama Rocks – Enormous prehistoric rock formations in the Southern Tier dating back three million years. It’s like something out of The Lord of the Rings.
3) Fort Tryon Park – One of New York City’s well-kept secrets. It’s on the northern tip of Manhattan and sits atop a cliff hundreds of feet above the Hudson – and you can get there by subway.
Seth DeCroce is a copywriter who spilts his time between the Upper West Side in Manhattan and a home in Upstate New York. His clients include DreamWorks, Motorola, The Office for National Drug Control Policy and Product (RED)™ as well as agencies including Draft/FCB, Euro RSCG and Marketcom Public Relations. For more information on Seth DeCroce, visit www.sethdecroce.com. To download the New York State brochure, visit www.iloveny.com/