Greater Irving-Las Colinas (TX) Chamber of Commerce 24 th Annual ACE AWARDS 2007 Entry (1a) Electronic Program Local address, Global access Video

Transcription

1 Greater Irving-Las Colinas (TX) Chamber of Commerce 24 th Annual ACE AWARDS 2007 Entry (1a) Electronic Program Local address, Global access Video SUMMARY The needed an effective and efficient marketing tool to tell the Chamber s story to current and prospective members, elected officials, the community-at-large and prospective businesses considering locating in Irving. The Local address, Global access high-definition video is a dynamic, high-quality communications piece which both reflects the personality and role of the Chamber in the business community and captures the unique benefits of a City of Irving address, namely the city s location, access and speed to market. The Chamber has utilized this high-energy, informative video to proactively communicate to and educate a broad array of local, regional and national stakeholders about the Chamber s successes and Irving s pro-business environment as a means to underscoring the key message that Irving is the premier place to live, work and play ACE Awards 1a Electronic Program Page 1 of 5

2 SYNOPSIS Needs Identification Located at the center of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the City of Irving is home to more than 8,000 businesses, from small, local companies to multi-national corporations, such as ExxonMobil, and more than 200,000 residents. The city has enjoyed a recent influx of economic development, with more than $4 billion in economic development projects underway or in the planning stages. With the local economy strong and a pro-business environment fostered by city leadership, the Chamber determined late in 2006 the need to produce a communications tool that would not only showcase the Chamber and the benefits of membership to current and prospective members, but would also showcase the City of Irving and serve as a strong marketing tool for real estate and site selection professionals, commercial developers and businesses considering relocating to Irving. The Chamber identified this need through discussions at its annual strategic planning retreat with the board of directors, along with conversations with developers and other professionals involved in business relocation, all of whom felt the Chamber needed an updated marketing tool to better tell the story of both the Chamber and the City of Irving. While the Chamber continued to utilize other marketing materials, such as a printed materials and its web site, the Chamber believed that a multi-media approach would be the most impactful way to deliver key messages to targeted audiences, as videos are more effective in engaging viewers on an emotional level than by print vehicles alone. Because the City of Irving owns and operates its own award-winning television production company, there was an opportunity to develop and produce a high-quality video at a minimum cost to the Chamber. The Local address, Global access video is one of several communications strategies supporting the Chamber s mission. With a rich heritage of leadership and collaboration, the Chamber works in partnership with the City of Irving and the corporate community to promote, advocate for and expand business in the city and further develop and market Irving s advantages as a premier location for doing business. Objectives The Chamber s objectives were Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Sensitive and were relevant to our target audiences, including: (1) existing Chamber members; (2) prospective Chamber members; (3) economic development prospects; (4) key community leaders and elected officials; and (4) commercial real estate developers and/or other professionals involved in recruiting businesses to Irving. These audiences were targeted for the purpose of recruitment, retention and expansion of businesses and residential/office occupancy. The objectives for the Local address, Global access video were as follows: 2007 ACE Awards 1a Electronic Program Page 2 of 5

3 1. Create a marketing tool that is dynamic, entertaining and informative; 2. Create opportunities for large numbers of key stakeholders to view the video and catch the wave of excitement in Irving; 3. Utilize the video to attract new members and businesses to Irving. These objectives can be measured in the short-term by responses from our target audiences and long-term through increased retention and increased membership. Communication Piece Once the decision was made to pursue production of a video, extensive thought and planning was given to the script, not only to ensure that the messages and visual elements were highlighted and emphasized, but in a succinct and time efficient manner. The scriptwriter conducted extensive meetings and interviews with key elected officials and civic leaders, including the Mayor of Irving, City Manager of Irving, Department Directors for the City of Irving, as well as the President of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber. The video staff also drew on expertise from the corporate communications department of the City of Irving to assist in producing the 11-minute, high-definition DVD. The Chamber partnered with the Irving Community Television Network (ICTN), which is part of the corporate communications department of the City of Irving, to manage the production for the Local address, Global access HD video. ICTN has a national reputation for excellence in programming as demonstrated by more than 140 national awards earned since its inception in 1981, including being a five-time winner of the prestigious Cable ACE award for its overall local programming and sports coverage. Playing off of the normal activities of today s technologically-advanced society, the decision was made to use a BlackBerry menu table of contents format throughout the DVD to define each visual section of the video. Key messages supported the Local address, Global access theme, which tells a story of a city that has hometown appeal along with unparalleled access to the global economy, through its location by DFW International Airport and the multinational corporations that call Irving home. Content was strategically selected to cover all facets of Irving, including location, business, lifestyle, community and economic development. There was a contemporary, dynamic feel to the video, which featured several landmarks of the City that were easily recognizable to audiences. Overall, the video content selected was clearly directed toward attracting new businesses, retaining and expanding existing businesses and sharing the quality of life our community experiences. The video was also designed to complement all of the Chamber s marketing pieces and, in particular, to serve as one of the showcase items in the Chamber s award-winning, state-of-theart Marketing Center ACE Awards 1a Electronic Program Page 3 of 5

4 The takeaways from the video were multifold: for businesses and residents currently in Irving, a sense of pride in all that Irving has to offer; for businesses looking to relocate or expand, a consideration of Irving at the top of the list of ideal locations; for local elected officials, a strong return on investment and confidence in the City of Irving s partnership with the Chamber. Methodology As stated earlier, the Chamber produced the video in partnership with the Irving Community Television Network. This partnership helped ensure that the objectives were met through a high-quality communications piece, produced by experts in both a time and cost-efficient manner. Production Schedule Initial concepts and research January 2007 Filming (10 days total) January-February 2007 Review of offline video Feburary 2007 Add-on shots/b-roll February 2007 Finalized script, credits, etc. February March 2007 Music composition March 2007 Completion of video April 2007 Distribution begins April 2007 Production Costs Producer/Director/Editor No charge Production $62,428 Editing $24,102 Total $86,530 Evaluation The video has received widespread accolades since its completion in April The video was initially distributed by mail to 600 critical decision makers, including business executives, site selectors, corporate real estate executives and community leaders in local and select national markets (such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Seattle, New York, Chicago, San Francisco/San Jose). Because of the high demand for the DVD, the Chamber had to secure an additional 400 copies for distribution. The video has also been a showcase item of the Chamber s state-of-the-art, award-winning Marketing Center, which is utilized by influential decision makers, such as key developers, real estate professional groups, City and Chamber committees and departments, trade organizations, international Ambassadors, as well as current and prospective Chamber members. As of January 1, 2008, the Marketing Center has hosted tours for nearly 500 people representing diverse groups, such as the Irving Healthcare Foundation, DFW International Airport, Pioneer Natural Resources, Staubach Real Estate, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Riverstone Properties, Jackson-Shaw, Texas One Site Selectors, Opus West, Irving Rotary Club, Magellan Commercial Realty, as well as current and potential members ACE Awards 1a Electronic Program Page 4 of 5

5 The video was the featured item at both the Chamber s 75 th anniversary gala in October 2007, which was attended by more than 500 elected officials, City staff and leaders, business and civic leaders, media and residents. An additional 600 persons viewed the video at the Chamber s annual State of the City gala, at which the Mayor highlights accomplishments in the prior year. Finally, since January 2008, the video has been made accessible through the Chamber s website ( Since January 1, 2008, the Chamber s website has received more than 9,800 hits, 112 of which were visitors that viewed the Local address, Global access video. The video is also available for checkout in all Irving libraries. In addition to the large distribution and viewing of the video, the Chamber has received significant feedback from its membership. For example, Michael C. Dudley, senior vice president of CB Richard Ellis, credits the video and other marketing pieces the Chamber provided for their success in keeping Avelo Mortgage in Las Colinas for their future relocation and expansion into their building. He said, The marketing pieces you provided were beneficial. The information illustrating the future developments really helps me to convey a story to those that are not as close to what all is happening on a day-to-day basis ACE Awards 1a Electronic Program Page 5 of 5