Did gas costs trump Maricopa County ad campaign?
The results of the county’s most recent effort to clean up the Valley’s air are a few weeks off, but higher gas prices may be doing the job no public relations campaign could. The Maricopa County Air Quality Department is awaiting the results of its “Running Out of Air” campaign, which sought to educate residents and drivers. Valley public relations firm Riester is compiling data to determine how well the campaign worked, said Holly Ward, spokeswoman for the county agency. “I think everyone realizes the air is bad. They just don’t know what to do,” she said. The $1.4 million campaign, complete with its own Web site, ran from February to June. It focused on raising awareness of ozone and particulate matter, the heavy presence of which has pushed the Valley onto the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “nonattainment” list for air pollution. If the county and local cities don’t step up to limit pollutants, the region risks losing federal funding for roads. For drivers, other factors ha
