Regional Development Alliance

Situation

A regional economic development organization needed to educate several target markets as to the existence, mission and resources they could provide to new or expanding businesses in seven Southeast Idaho counties. The campaign needed to establish the RDA brand and clarify the confusion between the several economic development options that existed. The RDA needed to educate both public and business sectors as to the job creation the RDA was responsible for. The client had limited budget and state government accountability.

Strategy

With a little known brand and tremendous confusion regarding the RDA and its competitors, Steele Branding centered on the RDA’s unique partnering approach in positioning the brand. The agency developed the “East Idaho’s Partner in Growth” tagline which was included in the multi-media appeal to the public and business targets, as well as, a direct mail campaign.

Result

RDA began to receive increased inquiries from the marketing campaign almost immediately. The board of directors reviewed a larger number of proposals the first year the campaign was employed and have since awarded more development funds – including $2,500,000 to Melaleuca and $500,000 to Tetri-Dyne, culminating in 170+ higher-paying jobs for Southeast Idaho.

“Steele took us from being an invisible brand to a well-known, well understood regional company. Everything worked extremely well. From strategy and brand development to logo design, print, web development, and radio… we saw the true evolution of our brand.”

—Tim Solomon, Executive Director – The Regional Development Alliance