Marketing Messages
If there's one often-heard complaint from Worcester residents and businesses, it's that the city lacks a coherent marketing strategy.
There have been efforts over the years to brand the city (Worcester: The Paris of the 80s, anyone?). And there have been agencies formed to help lead the charge (Remember Choose Worcester?). But somehow the efforts never seem to gain traction.
Diagnosing this problem is pretty simple: It’s a lack of focused resources. Upstart agencies often don’t have the funding or the man/woman-power to effect lasting change. Good marketing takes frequency over time. A few years of funding is like throwing a pebble in a lake. It’ll make temporary waves, but won’t change the landscape.
But there’s a new idea being floated by City Manager Michael O’Brien and Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray that could be successful. The key, however, is going to be in implementation.
Under One Umbrella
The proposal, first shared via a Worcester Telegram & Gazette article on July 20, would consolidate several marketing-related agencies: Destination Worcester, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Central Massachusetts Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Worcester Business Development Corp.
On paper such an alignment makes sense. All four groups have some overlap in what they deliver. There may be efficiencies in bringing them under one roof and allowing them to share some administrative costs.
Destination Worcester, started in 2007, already operates out of the chamber’s Main Street offices and has seen its budget decimated from $500,000 to $150,000 due to cutbacks.
And while the WBDC is on sound financial footing and has a strong leader in David Forsberg, it’s not unheard of to have a chamber paired with an economic development agency. For example, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber houses the North Central Development Corp., which is the main economic development agency for the Fitchburg/Leominster region.
There is also the potential for synergies if the groups are operating side by side. A casual conversation over the water cooler between WBDC employees and chamber employees may result in new innovative programs. More bodies and minds focused in one space on marketing and drawing business to the city and the region has the potential to be quite powerful.
There is, after all, strength in numbers.
The proposal is not without its flaws, however. Leaders at the visitors and convention bureau have expressed concern over the plan, saying it simply won’t work.
While the other groups seem more open to the idea, there’s likely to be a lot of closed-door negotiating required to make sure a proper agreement is hammered out.
Mission Critical
The biggest challenge will be identifying the focus of these agencies. An organization like Destination Worcester was created to bring convention and event business to Worcester and Worcester alone.
The Central Mass. CVB, on the other hand, has a much wider focus. Finding the right balance between city-centered marketing and more regional messages will be a challenge.
That being said, it’s not impossible. In fact, New England’s parochial attitude toward city and town boundaries really holds us back in some ways.
Other parts of the United States that take a more regional approach to marketing (like the Research Triangle in North Carolina or Silicon Valley in California) have found real success. The artificial lines that divide Worcester from Millbury mean little to a large corporation look to site a new manufacturing plant.
If we can pull some of the silos down and create a marketing plan that highlights the strengths not only of New England’s second-largest city, but of the surrounding communities as well, we will be better positioned for success.
WBJ Web Partners
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