CASE STUDIES
The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) turned to D&S for ideas on how best to attract high tech businesses to Rhode Island. The Agency’s answer was a campaign that was the antithesis of state government – fast and innovative, with an edge. It targeted technology entrepreneurs in Boston and Cambridge, MA via a Web-centric campaign of public relations and viral marketing techniques with select, thought-provoking advertising to drive people to “mass-exodus.com.” There, the reasons why technology companies should consider moving to or expanding in Rhode Island were explained in a language and a style specifically designed for the target audience.
The Agency’s press strategy – a stealth effort best described as “don’t look for publicity, let it come to you” – paid off in spades. Curiosity surrounding some of the billboard advertising and viral marketing techniques brought dozens of media inquiries and resulted in feature stories on several Boston-area TV and radio stations as well as in the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe Magazine, Boston Magazine, Mass High Tech, and the Providence Journal. An Associated Press story further spread the word through other large MA metropolitan daily papers. And in less than four months, six Massachusetts-based technology companies announced they were picking up and moving to Rhode Island. The campaign won several awards, including “Best of Show” at the annual Bell Ringer awards for excellence in New England Public Relations Programming.
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