Greetings from Aberdeen: A Social Contest

Greetings from Aberdeen mural

We just wrapped up the ‘Greetings from Aberdeen’ mural contest that helped our town beat back the pandemic blues and unite in a fun and social activity. We recently started up a social media and online marketing service at McQuillen Creative, and this was a great first test for us. Troy McQuillen had a great idea to bring the town together through a public display of art. He was inspired by the old “Greetings from” postcards of our past, and that is what he used as a theme.

The idea was to bring back a sense of normalcy during a time where everyone had to deal with extraordinary circumstances. To get people to come to it, we set up rules that would enter them into a prize drawing for taking a selfie at the mural. Thankfully, the idea inspired many people to drop by the art piece and share their pictures on social media.

Greetings From Aberdeen originates from a time when America’s travel culture started to boom. Businesses sold illustrated postcards to tourists at this burgeoning time for adventure. These old-fashioned cards were almost forgotten. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted much of the traditions we hold dear. So, it was in a time of quarantine that Troy McQuillen had an idea. He was inspired to bring Aberdonians together by revitalizing an old tradition.

How we did the Greetings From Aberdeen Contest

Troy had Aberdeen’s old postcard stocked in his collection of curiosities. He admired the design and the sentiment of that era. At that moment, he decided to create something that would pay homage to a time when people could travel without a care in the world. Little by little, he designed a new “Greetings From Aberdeen” card that would feature Aberdeen’s iconic scenes. From our state bird to Twist Cone, Troy captured all of the landmarks that define Aberdeen.

greetings from aberdeen mural entrant

Entrants for the Greetings From Aberdeen contest posted their pictures to social media for a chance to win $500.

Troy wasn’t satisfied with just hanging a piece of art. He wanted to create a mural and give people a chance to show off their hometown pride. His idea became a contest. The rules were simple: take a picture in front of the mural located at 9 Fifth Ave. SE, post it to social media with the hashtag #GreetingsFromAberdeen. On Thursday, October 1, Tess Van Der Bel was randomly selected as the winner of the contest, which was a $500 cash prize.

Greetings From Aberdeen Mural Contest Winner

This was the winning submission from Tess Van Der Bel for the Greetings From Aberdeen Mural Contest.

Aberdeen Magazine received dozens of submissions, including groups from local institutions. Not wanting to leave them empty-handed, Aberdeen Magazine awarded the participants free Aberdeen branded apparel. Lastly, we would like to thank everyone for participating. Having people in Aberdeen come together despite the troubles in the world is what makes this city is so special.

 

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