Jackson Township on Tuesday passed a resolution to contract with Shore Media and Marketing, owned by local resident Phil Stilton, to a contract for the remainder of 2024 for media and marketing service. This appointment replaces the former media consultancy based out of Monmouth County.
Under the agreement the township will hire Shore Media and Marketing to work on press releases, marketing, and other activities to promote services, news, activities, and events in Jackson.
Stilton, a United States Marine Corps veteran and former editor of JTOWN Magazine, a positive-vibes community magazine that operated in the township for ten years until the COVID-19 pandemic. He is now the editor of Shore News Network, one of the state’s largest independent media companies that reaches over 10 million readers annually and has over 100,000 local social media followers.
Stilton brings nearly 30 years of news media and marketing experience to the township including several years at The Asbury Park Press and has developed and launched and managed media and marketing solutions for thousands of businesses from small mom and pop storefronts to large Fortune 500 companies during his career.
“I see so much out there on a daily basis about Jackson, a lot of it is good, some of it is a bit inaccurate and a small portion is just flat-out misinformation intended to mislead residents for one reason or another,” he said. “Helping the township to get the most accurate information to the residents is a vital service that every town needs to make sure residents know what’s going on.”
He referred to his ten years at JTOWN Magazine.
“When we did JTOWN Magazine, people felt good about our town, they saw all the positive things going on,” he said. “It would be nice to see those good vibes return to Jackson and be part of that.”
Stilton said he is thankful the township chose his company over multiple out-of-town vendors.
“I think being local is the key to success. My children are born and raised in Jackson, I lived in the area my entire life,” he said. “Having that foundation and knowing what is most important to the residents of Jackson and for the success of our town is critical at this time. I want to see Jackson succeed and continue to be the place that made us all want to move here in the first place. I am excited to show the township what we can do.”
Under the agreement, Shore Media and Marketing will help township officials craft their message, report on township happenings, new ordinances, township projects and to help the township connect regularly with its residents.
The township confirmed this is not a ‘public information officer’ position and news media will still continue to receive their direct messages from the township and business administrator Terrance Wall.
“I am happy to announce that we chose Shore Media and Marketing because they had the most in depth knowledge among the applicants when it comes to the issues we face in Jackson and the dynamics of our town,” said “We are always busy getting things done and making things happen, but more than often we don’t have the time to let people know in detail what we’re working on and why. Getting this information to our residents is paramount going forward”
“We needed a vendor that understands our community as a whole,” said Councilman Mordechai Burnstein. “There are a lot of things that we would have to bring other companies up to speed on, but we want to make sure we hit the ground running.”
“We need to focus on running the town,” said Mayor Michael Reina. “There’s a lot going on and I want to make sure the people know everything that’s going on and how it affects them from infrastructure to the town government to events and activities in town.”
The township acknowledges that the previous contract vendor did not submit a proposal.
“We wanted to continue that service,” said Burnstein. “The township first hired a marketing and media firm during COVID-19 and during lengthy litigation problems. We want to connect directly with the residents.
Burnstein noted that the township has launched its own direct-to-resident news website, www.jacksontwpnj.news where residents can visit daily to find out what is happening in the community.