Just months after almost losing its home in a court-ordered sale, The Hartford Club is launching its first-ever major media campaign to attract new membership. It comes on the cusp of recent membership growth.
Club president Brian Beakey said the new marketing campaign has been months in the making. The pro bono campaign was developed by the Glastonbury advertising agency Cashman & Katz. It was expected to start running today.
“The Hartford Club is alive and well,” Beakey proclaimed during a news conference launching the campaign. He said the 10 percent growth in membership, to 525, is an indication the club is on a successful path.
Tony Cashman, president and CEO of Cashman & Katz, said the media campaign’s theme adapts the old Buick tagline, “This is not your father’s Buick.” He said, “It’s not your father’s or grandfather’s Hartford Club.”
A general theme of the four 15-second spots is the value of the club when it comes to social networking versus social media. “The real currency of the Hartford Club is it is the perfect place to meet personally and professionally,” Katz said.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said the club has played an important role in the city’s intellectual, social, and business history. “Just like Hartford, it is experiencing a renaissance,” he said.
Beakey also announced the club’s membership room will be undergoing a renovation. The new space will be called The Hartford Room with a focus on significant elements of the city’s business history highlighted.
Back in September, the 142-year-old private club reached a settlement with its lenders to stave off foreclosure over $1.4 million it owed in unpaid debts on its 46 Prospect St. home, after the state Appellate Court ruled the club to be sold.
The Hartford Club ran into fiscal difficulties in April 2014 after missing payments for 18 months on $1 million it owed to Berkshire Bank.
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