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"Economic Development Marketing Letter"
A Blane, Canada Ltd. Publication
Nationally Recognized Experts On Economic Development Marketing and Retention
April 2001, Volume: 4, Issue: e/4
As we complete the final edits prior to transmitting the newsletter, Boeing executives are in Chicago being courted by city and state business and political leadership. Competitors are Dallas and Denver. Speculation abounds regarding the lure of Dallas because the CEO’s wife has family and Boeing has three large customers there. The media frenzy in all three locations compliments the old wine, dine, and pocket book incentives approach. This begs the question, is anyone asking about Boeing’s strategic requirements? What would you do to understand the strategic needs of such a prospect? R&E
Outcomes Research now underway... If you would like to participate in a
telephone interview about your existing business program results, let us know or
contact one of our research partners on the project. Findings will be reported
to the profession at Business Retention and Expansion International’s (BREI)
in Ottawa, Ontario conference May 10-12 and in forthcoming ED publications in
North America. http://www.brei.org
Fred Baughman, University of Central Florida FBaugh1112@aol.com
Steve Buser, Partnership of Southeast Texas sbuser@ih2000.net
Laura Lawson, Downers Grove EDC (IL) llawson@xnet.com
Marie Pence, Cinergy/PSI Indiana Economic Development mpence@Cinergy.com
Joe Reagan, Greater Louisville, Inc. (KY) jreagan@lacc.org
Philip E. Seghers, Entergy (LA) PSEGHER@entergy.com
Brett Vassey, Department of Business Assistance (VA) BVassey@dba.state.va.us
Nancy or Eric at Blane, Canada Ltd. info@blanecanada.com.
Our thanks to the dozens of ED professionals who have already shared
their personal insights! Employee layoffs... plant closings, acquisitions of local companies by out-of-state and foreign competitors. Do these reflect the daily headlines in your area, too? Were you caught by surprise by a public announcement made about a local closure? Synchronist Business Information Software® might have alerted you to escalating lay-offs, cost increases of major suppliers, and other critical issues which are included in the survey tool. Developed by Blane, Canada Ltd. for the economic development professional, it is in use around the country. The data you acquire is analyzed then re-formatted into more than 40 different reports. It’s an early warning system. If your retention program needs a boost, call us about the performance capabilities of Synchronist. 630.462.9222 or contact us at info@blanecanada.com HT or IT?... Continuing feedback on high and information technology. Contrary to common perceptions, not all high-tech cities are alike according to a study released by the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy. The survey analyzed tech-related employment concentration, patent activity, and venture capital flows in 14 U.S. metropolitan areas. The study, “High Tech Specialization: A Comparison of High Technology Centers,” was written by Joseph Cortright and Heike Mayer, and the research was conducted in conjunction with Portland State University. Cortright and Mayer used a new method of industrial classification to assess product and market specializations in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Find the survey and individual metro area profiles at the bottom of the web page, http://www.brookings.edu/urban. High tech definition… “No one should be surprised that there is not a common definition for what constitutes “high tech.” One of our key findings is that “high tech” is not a homogenous industry category. Places tend to specialize in relatively few technologies. Being good at one kind of high technology (say biotech) doesn’t necessarily make you any good at other kinds of high technology, say disk drives. Analysts ought to pay more attention to what kinds of high tech different places specialize in, rather than trying to come up with a single, all-encompassing definition.” Source: Joseph Cortright Everywhere!... That’s what the early months of 2001 have seemed like. From Edmonton, Alberta to Phoenix, Memphis, Louisville, Paducah, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Upper Peninsula (MI), to Norfolk, VA! And the next two months will include New York City, Hilton Head Island, Ottawa, Ontario & California. We’ve kept Eric on the road with marketing seminars. He regularly gets very high marks for the presentations. “Brilliant. I can’t wait until this afternoon’s marketing workshop.” (audience member reacting to Eric’s recent keynote address “The BIG Game” and “B2B Marketing” workshop in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). California dreaming... if you think you’re challenged in your economic development plans, what about those in CA protecting the home front against a deluge of “higher quality of life” brochures, calls, e-mails, faxes, and snail mail. If your board is pushing you to lure companies, will you use a shotgun or selective, high precision rifle? Telecommunications... terms can be very tricky to understand. The Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs (IIRA@ccmail.wiu.edu) recently sent out a research report on the topic. One recommendation is for non-urban areas to establish a telecom council to continually assess their infrastructure. The reprot cites several examples in OK, NE, ND & GA where telecom initiatives have brought strong results. NCCED, a national group of over 800 community development corporations (CDCs), established to assist, offers an annual telecom seminar. http://www.ncced.org/ You’ve
heard it before... Synchronist is the software we developed
for business retention and data
analysis. Well, Patrick J. Kelly of
First Energy in Akron, OH threw us for a loop with his creative counter to our
regular mention of Synchronist. (His real goal was to get his name in this
newsletter.) The following was originally presented by the musical performer,
Sting, in his early days with the group known as Police. From the album titled,
“Synchronicity”. “With
one breath, with one flow, you will know, Synchronicity A sleep trance, a dream
dance, a shared romance, Synchronicity. A
connecting principle, Casually
connectable, Yet
nothing is invincible, Synchronicity... Effect
without a cause, Sub-atomic
laws, Scientific
pause... Synchronicity!” Access... the latest business strategies and practices being written about in publications like Fast Company, Business 2.0, Upside, Red Herring and more. The Blue Dolphin Business Update is a FREE weekly, customized newsletter that taps into some of the most trusted magazines around: Time, Money, Entrepreneur, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, The Industry Standard, Fortune, and eCompany. Get The Blue Dolphin Business Update FREE at http://www.bluedolphin.com/signmeup.jhtml?nsn=business&os=106080 Honesty in Marketing Award... goes to the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (VA) for their 2000 Annual Report which reports BOTH hits and misses (the ones that got away.) In addition, Cornerstone Partnership of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce’s (FL) e-mail newsletter listed “Major Business Relocations & Downsizings”. Our congratulations to both Jones Hooks, HREDA, and Jerry Mallot, CP, for their leadership. Telling the whole story, good and bad, wins valuable points for honesty with clients. Extra credits to HREDA. Describing the misses gave HREDA an opportunity to explain WHY. This provided a fabulous opportunity to educate members on the vagaries of location decision making and the importance of the “right” product. Well done, Jones. In our office... we, too, try to show all sides, not just our successes. Here’s a response to our last newsletter: “I usually love everything in the letter. Must take exception with this statement: ‘The best product… is no match for a weaker product marketed well!’ A brand is only as good as what’s behind it. If the product isn’t there, good marketing can’t save it.” Tucker Kennedy, IL Agreed, Tucker. However, if the product is acceptable on most levels, yet not the best available product, e.g., many of the early Microsoft products were weaker products but won out in the marketplace. Some lucky breaks, good strategic thinking, and solid marketing gave Microsoft the opportunity to win out over better products in many categories. Everything is a compromise. Optimum quality is seldom the primary criteria for a decision. Hence, a strong marketer can have a great deal of influence in the final choice. Clever, clever!... David Lyman of Bakersfield, CA caught our eye with the slight of hand marketing in his otherwise regular e-mail communication. As a postscript, he sets up “Factoids” like “Did you know Bakersfield has ... [insert different assets worth highlighting]?” ED
Web Sites... “regarding good economic development web sites, two come to mind
pretty quickly. The first is the web site for Patrick Henry Development Council
(VA). This
site is solely dedicated to economic development.
Tasks are very easy to find, and they include pertinent, in depth
information, such as sites and buildings, enterprise zone incentives, and
detailed demographic information. With all of the web sites we view daily, it is
nice to run across one that has all of the information and is EASY to use.
After all, that’s one of the benefits of the Internet, acquiring
information easily and quickly. http://www.phdc.org
Another web site is http://www.atlantatexas.com,
recommended by Scott D. Swoger, Global Community Network. Most necessary
information is readily available at a click of the mouse, including that
auspicious “D” word, Data, in accordance with the AEDC/CUED/EDAC National
Data Standards. One other facet that we like is that on each page there is a
testimonial from a local company talking about the benefits of Atlanta, Texas.
This adds credibility without being obtrusive. Just a thought from someone who
views these web sites all day long. Check this out... Economic History Services provides an online calculator to determine values over a period of time. For instance, $1,000 invested in 1950 now has a value of x. This site calculates the value. http://www.eh.net/ehresources/howmuch/dollarq.php Room to improve... Blane, Canada Ltd. has conducted numerous operational assessments of ED organizations’ marketing and sales capabilities. How can we help you? nblane@blanecanada.com Is any press considered good press?... Not necessarily if Jesse Ventura is your governor. From Minnesota we hear of challenging times due to the “Jesse” cartoon strip. Kookie... that’s the feedback we sometimes receive from readers. Maury Foreman in WA responded to a possible name for the merged organizations of AEDC and CUED. The National Association of Knowledgeable Economic Developers is an adequate title until you read the acronym. And Alf Barnette in MT suggests that the trend to name major stadiums for a donating corporate sponsor should be considered. Something like the FedEx Development Council or the General Motors DC? Audit time?... Blane, Canada Ltd. conducts organizational and programmatic audits Amazing... We have competitors and sub contractors of competitors who request to be placed on our mailing list. We take this as a compliment. Some readers e-mail us to add people to the list. Others have lists they regularly forward the newsletter to. One person forwards it to 32 people, in order to stay out in front with his contacts. You’re welcome to do the same. Just be sure to reference Blane, Canada Ltd.!
Blane, Canada Ltd.
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