I had to blink once or twice to believe what I was reading. Could one of our U.S. states be trying to convince people to move there with a print advertisement in a magazine? Yes, that was the case and I must say that I was proud of the effort. See, as a Minnesotan we enjoy a friendly rivalry with bordering states such as Wisconsin and Iowa, but it is just that - friendly. So, I have to say I really thought it was great to see Iowa reaching out and telling the country that they have a great place to live and work.
The caption that caught my eye read - Information Technology Companies Like What They See in Iowa. The ad, that ran in Fast Company, goes on to talk about the work/life balance in Iowa:
“…home to the fastest-growing economy in the Midwest. Iowa’s vibrant I.T. sector employs more than 46,000 people at 3,000 companies….Iowa’s I.T. workforce is one of the most productive anywhere - a byproduct of the life/work balance and the off-hours amenities that have helped create the nation’s 3rd most-livable state.”
On top of that, they’ve put together a nice website that is referenced in the ad (see screenshot below). The site does a great job of touting the benefits of living and working in Iowa. They’ve filled the pages with quality, useful information that should provide someone considering Iowa with a ton of resources.
My scanner is down or else I would have posted the print advertisement as well. If anyone is familiar with the campaign and has a screen shot of one of their print ads, please send it to me and I’ll post it.
UPDATE: Since posting this story, Drew McLellan - a resident of Iowa and fellow marketer - picked up the story and wrote a post of his own including more screen shots of the advertisements.
Granted, I don’t have much of experience marketing a state, but it looks to me like Iowa did a great job with this. Their messaging is consistent between print and online and they’ve created a sort of life-brand (if that’s even a marketing word) from the campaign. It’s clear alot of thought went into this campaign - nice work Iowa!
Patrick, I can either send you a screen shot, or you can pick one up when you move down here:-)
One of the reasons I moved to Iowa three years ago was because of their marketing…but in a different way. The people from Iowa I had met always impressed me (Minnestoans also).
Sure hope we can gather someday…even if it’s not in Minnesota or Iowa
Hey Mike, thanks so much for visiting and commenting. I’ll shoot you an email off-line with my email address. If you have a screen shot, I’d love to update the post.
It would be great to meet up at some point! Hopefully, our paths will cross in the Midwest or a conference in the near future.
Patrick,
As a former Minnesota State, Mankato Maverick I’d like to thank you for pointing to Iowa in your blog. I actually moved from Ia to MN, then MN to FL, then FL to NY, then NY to Minneapolis and now I’m back in my home state of Iowa.
I’m a huge fan of collaboration and many of my best friends still live in MN. Let me know how/if I can help you out!
Accentuate the positive…
Now I am not from Iowa, actually never been there, but I am inspired to hear about a new campaign being run by the state to remind Iowans (and prospective Iowans) about the great features of living there. Highlighted in…
Adam, thanks for stopping by! Good to hear you liked Iowa and the Midwest enough to return. Glad you commented as I was able to find your blog. Looks interesting! I’ll check it out often.
Iowa Rocks! This campaign is funded through the Iowa Dept of Economic Development and the creative and PR are done by The Integer Group Midwest in Des Moines. Thanks for the compliments, we are pretty proud of it as well. Nice blog, by the way!
Claire, thanks for reading and contributing with the additional information! I appreciate it.