Drum Country is a multi-sector economic and workforce development partnership in the north-central New York region, encompassing Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.
ABOUT
Drum Country’s mission is to promote the region as a strategic business location and a great place to live, with various resources to help companies relocate to Drum Country and grow.
BLKDOG was tasked with placemaking—designing communications to create experiences that connect people to a place—by developing strategic marketing initiatives that would position Drum Country as an attractive business asset, encouraging business relocation/expansion while retaining and attracting new talent to the region.
DELIVERABLES
- Brand Strategy + Identity Design
- Website Development
- Marketing Strategy
- Digital Campaigns
- Focus Groups
- Trade Show Collateral
- Content + Email Marketing
PLACEMAKING STRATEGY
The purpose of the campaign was simple: To reach new, qualified organizations in our target industries (manufacturing, food processing, renewable energy, and finance/insurance/real estate) and encourage them to relocate and/or expand in the Drum Country region of New York.
We performed a SWOT analysis of the region and identified the benefits for businesses and individuals to live and work in Drum Country in order to develop our targeted messages.
BUSINESS ATTRACTION
Benefits of Drum Country for businesses include consistent, educated talent entering the local market, a strategic location with proximity to 7 of the top 10 US markets and the Canadian border, and various tax and business incentives.
TALENT/WORKFORCE ATTRACTION
High quality of life, exemplary public and private school systems, low cost of living, and proximity to major cities and attractions are some of the benefits of living and working in Drum Country for individuals and their families.
Also, professional development opportunities through the several job openings in developing markets and frequently available workforce training initiatives make Drum Country the quintessential place to live and grow.
Placemaking aims to establish a unique identity for a place, often by incorporating local culture, history, and traditions into the design.
Placemaking is fundamentally community-centered, involving active participation and input from the people who live and work in a particular area.
Placemaking is the process of designing and shaping public area’s to promote community engagement, improve the quality of life, and create a sense of identity and belonging.
BLKDOG identified a large number of people that grew up in these counties and were professionally trained at local colleges and universities or had retired in the military. Our intention was to invite these people to see Drum Country through a new lens and consider returning.
Moreover, we used variations of the statement ‘Let’s Meet’ to position each of the communication pillars that were defined by our placemaking strategy.
