Albuquerque, S.F. advertising firms join forces as Sunny505

Albuquerque-based Griffin & Associates and Santa Fe-based HK Advertising have formed a strategic alliance called Sunny505 that went into effect Jan. 7.

Joanie Griffin folded her company into Sunny505, while HK will maintain an independent existence with some clients and otherwise function as Sunny505, Griffin said.

HK Advertising is an advertising, public relations, graphic design and electronic communications firm, while Griffin & Associates is a marketing, advertising and public relations business.

Griffin said the two firms, which already worked together through 2018, handle about 75 percent of tourism marketing across New Mexico.

“Their specialty is tourism and casino advertising,” Griffin said. “We do 60 percent tourism and focus on small business, nonprofits and health care.”

Collaborating as two companies last year, they won six of seven bids submitted, including tourism contracts with the village of Cloudcroft, the city of Alamogordo, the town of Silver City, Los Alamos County and other contracts with New Mexico State University and Santa Fe Stucco & Roofing, she said.

“We have spent two decades competing against one another,” said Dave Hayduk, CEO of HK Advertising. “What we realized is we are stronger together, especially when it comes to competing against out-of-state firms.”