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EVOLVING VISION
Plenty of Wildcats
are along for the
ride, too, with
more than 30
currently on staff.
62 ARIZONA ALUMNI MAGAZINE
Madden Media celebrates 35 years of change
by Tim Vanderpool
f there’s one thing constant about and then Yellow Pages “Our storytelling campaigns
IMadden Media, it’s constant advertising. That was the extent have been among our biggest
change. Launched in the early of his experience when they first successes,” Kevin Madden says,
1980s by University of Arizona conceived of Tucson Guide. pointing to examples such as
alumni Kevin and Jill Madden, “It sure was never meant to Kissimmee, Florida, where they
the company began with a single be a get-rich-quick scheme,” he created more than 40 short
visitors guide, later shifted into says. “It was me driving around feature stories aimed at visitors.
webpage design, and then on to Tucson in my VW, trying to sell Madden also conducted in-depth
internet search optimization. Now ads.” web analysis for Kissimmee
celebrating 35 years of success, Fortunately, they enjoyed and tapped its proprietary
Madden has become an industry an early boost from Tucson’s Audience Development platform
leader in creating multimedia flourishing mom-and-pop for boosting traffic to the city’s
packages for more than 600 business community. “We website.
tourism offices across the country. couldn’t have done it in most Another success story was
Plenty of Wildcats are along for towns,” Jill Madden says, “these the Man vs. Steak campaign
the ride, too, with more than 30 24-year-old kids walking into for Amarillo, Texas. That award-
currently on staff. businesses to sell ads. But they winning effort focused on the
What are the keys to Madden’s wanted to support us because Big Texan Steak Ranch, which
achievements? No. 1: an uncanny we were UA grads, and this was challenges diners to eat a 72-ounce
knack for spotting business trends. really a small-business town steak and side dishes in one hour
No. 2: fearlessly putting those then.” or less. The story was cleverly
trends to work. The first issue of Tucson told from a contestant’s vantage,
Like most great stories, this one Guide rolled off the presses accompanied by folksy, hand-
starts humbly. Today, we’re sitting in January 1983 — a beautiful, drawn landing page illustrations.
in the historic MacArthur Building, high-production magazine with Kevin Madden was among
a downtown Tucson icon where brilliant, full-page ads. Their next those who recognized the digital
Madden Media is headquartered. job was hauling it around to revolution’s potential early on.
As we chat, Jill Madden reaches for hotels, restaurants and anywhere “Back in 1995, when the internet
the photo of a nondescript student else that visitors congregated. first happened, we created our
rental on the edge of campus. By 1985, the Maddens began internet development company
“That was the house we worked publishing a tourism guide for the called Madden Media, and
out of,” she says, chuckling. “It was Metropolitan Tucson Convention we spun it off from Madden
on Silver Street, where Kevin lived and Visitors Bureau, now known Publishing,” he says.
with his roommate, who also did as Visit Tucson. That partnership “Today our business is 70
production and created our first was pivotal, eventually leading percent digital marketing services
business card.” to similar collaborations with and 30 percent publications.
Initially, it seemed an unlikely organizations across the country, We’ve done everything, from
gig. After graduating with a in what the company calls helping people with their search
business degree in 1981, Kevin “storytelling.” rankings to creating websites. We
Madden briefly sold typewriters worked for EA Sports in the San