Read about the NC Dept of Commerce’s clever ad campaign to attract Amazon’s HQ to NC. OT is thrilled to share honors with the likes of the Wright Brothers!
by Rick Smith — November 14, 2017
http://bit.ly/2Ggjdaq
When Jeff Bezos catches Uber/Lyft or rides his bike to work at Amazon’s headquarters, or as he reads the Washington Post (which he owns) on his Kindle, he just may see some ads from North Carolina. shouting:
“We want you! And we’re much more than ‘First in Flight!”
North Carolina leaders are making sure that Bezos – on his way to becoming the world’s seemingly forever richest man – sees and hears that the state wants the massive Amazon HQ2 project. A new campaign called N.C. Next Firsts (#NCnextfirsts) is looking to generate social media buzz about North Carolina as a home for “firsts” such as the Wright Brothers at Kill Devil Hills.
Digital as well as transit ads are being purchased in Seattle to help drive home the message through all the clutter and hype surrounding the frenzied HQ2 bidding.
Other backers have already created social publicity, such as at the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, and there’s a video promo that the Research Triangle Regional Partnership made available. And now …
“We work every day to promote North Carolina as a strong location for businesses. We want the business community to know about our highly trained talent pool, favorable business climate and our culture of innovation,” Beth Ann Gargan, assistant secretary for communications and external affairs at the Department of Commerce, told WRAL TechWire when asked about why the campaign was launched.
“We want people to have some fun with this campaign. North Carolina is known for many firsts, including being first in flight, and we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of the other firsts that people might not know about. Our ads encourage viewers to find out more about North Carolina and what makes our state ripe for innovation and creativity.”
The Department of Commerce is working with the Economic Development Partnership for North Carolina (EDPNC) on the campaign.
HOME OF MANY FIRSTS
The Department of Commerce disclosed the advertising, marketing and social effort on Tuesday as Amazon continue to weigh through more than 200 proposals across the U.S. and Canada for HQ2 and its 50,000 jobs as well as billions in new infrastructure spending. (Four proposals came from N.C. alone – Triangle [with multiple options] plus Charlotte, the Triad and Hickory.)
“The ads began appearing in and around Seattle on November 10, 2017 and will run for the next few weeks,” Gargan explained.
“The ads will run for the next few weeks. The social and digital elements will continue.”
How much will the campaign cost? Gargan didn’t say, noting that the EDPNC, a public-private partnership, “is responsible for budgeting.”
The campaign includes promotions for North Carolina as home of the following “firsts.” They certainly deal with points sensitive to Amazon and stated requirement needs – such as high tech innovation, ecommerce, renewable energy, mass transit (flight), and support of arts as well as diversity.
The featured list, with some notes added in parenthesis:
- Prosthetic Hand with Individual Finger Control invented. 2016. Charlotte, N.C. (OrthoCarolina)
- Shipping Container invented. 1956. Red Springs, N.C.
- Ctrl-Alt-Del Reboot Command invented. 1981. Research Triangle Park. N.C. (IBM)
- Barcode invented. 1969. Raleigh, N.C. (IBM)
- Solar and Pedal Powered Electric Vehicle invented. 2013. Durham, N.C. (The ELF, via Organic Transit)
- First woman in the U.S. to obtain a patent for an architectural design. 1870. Charlotte, N.C.
- First Public University. 1795. Chapel Hill, N.C.
- First State-Funded Art Museum. 1946. Raleigh, N.C.
- First Gold Rush. 1799. Concord, N.C.
“North Carolinians embrace firsts and are eager to welcome innovative companies committed to excellence, including Amazon,” Governor Roy Cooper declared in the announcement. “North Carolinians embody a spirit of collaboration, and our state is uniquely positioned to be the home of many more impressive ‘firsts.’”
