Missing Campaign
A Fresh Approach To Business Attraction, Expansion And Diversification
In the world of economic development marketing, California businesses are among the most sought-after audiences in the world. Armed with a limited budget, KPS3 created a unique economic development marketing plan and developed an economic development marketing campaign reaching California businesses, both big and small. We did not directly target a business-to-business campaign, nor did we target specific industries. Rather our approach did target California and national media in order to position Nevada as a place in which to do business and live. Our fully integrated marketing, advertising, public relations and promotions approach created recognition of Nevada as “changing the face of economic development marketing,” and achieved tremendous results garnering extensive, broad media coverage.
Our Clients
Our clients were made up of a coalition of private and public economic development organizations, including the Nevada Commission on Economic Development, Nevada Development Authority in Las Vegas, Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, Northern Nevada Development Authority and Sierra Pacific Power Company. They banded together to maximize their marketing power to target California companies to relocate and/or expand to Nevada.
Marketing Messages For Diverse Economic Development Partners
Our clients’ target industries and key selling points were so diverse it was not feasible to do a traditional economic development marketing program (i.e. do advance analysis for target industries, research and qualify leads within the targeted industries, segment the target industries, determine the messages and media by which to best reach the target segments, etc.).
Timely and newsworthy themes were created to appeal to California media – “Will your business be terminated?” with a playful nod to the state’s governor. Or, in year three, the theme was “missing” and featured California icons/landmarks (the California bear, the Golden Gate bridge) mysteriously disappearing, later to be found doing business in Nevada.
Our Economic Development Marketing Tactics
- Creative strategies and messages designed specifically to attract primarily California media and further carry our message months after the launch of each campaign included street corner invasions in key markets with life-size cutouts of “beaten up” California business people and the first ever ferry wrap in the San Diego harbor
- Viral email campaigns to media, California friends and family of each of our clients and their entire membership, passed along to even more friends and family
- Websites created for each stage of the campaign, press release props, gifts and giveaways
- Large format print ad campaign in major market media, targeting business section
- Faux newscast videos prepared for web and an email viral campaign
- Public relations, press appearances, white papers released to media and decision makers
Results and R.O.I. From Our Economic Development Marketing Campaigns
The three-year economic development campaign generated real results and leveraged a great deal of media coverage in California and nationally, especially in year two and three. In year two, the campaign leveraged 265 national, regional and local media stories with an advertising equivalency value of $1.2 million. In year three, in the five weeks of intense campaign activity, the “missing” websites received more than 227,000 hits and 9,500 visits. The member organizations’ public relations staff was also able to leverage 463 national, regional and local media stories with an advertising equivalency value of $2.7 million.
All economic development agencies involved in the cooperative reported greatly increased inquiries from California companies. Those involved in the partnership also report 50 percent of all companies that have relocated to Nevada in the three years since the campaign launched are from California.
