What is Penn's Northeast?

Penn’s Northeast is a four-county regional partnership of public and private agencies dedicated to assisting site selectors and commercial real estate brokers who are looking to locate businesses in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Penn's Northeast represents economic development agencies throughout the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metropolitan area and portions of the Pocono Mountains. The group is the marketing arm for this region of the Northeast.

Project and Goals

Penn's Northeast sought, received and rated proposals from numerous agencies throughout the Northeast for a branding and marketing campaign to reach out to site selectors and commercial real estate professionals throughout the nation that would establish a relationship and familiarize them with the Penn's Northeast region and its marketing officials. The agency had a very modest budget for this campaign and set out to stretch its dollars as far as possible. Precision Design's creative team prepared an extensive plan to accomplish these goals and, following interviews with Penn's Northeast's marketing committee, was awarded the contract to execute its campaign.

Challenges

• To break through the sea of marketing clutter and effectively reach the target audience on the limited budget.
• To concept and execute a new brand identity that would be easily remembered and effectively lead to a working relationship between site selectors and the president of Penn's Northeast.
• To further strengthen existing relationships and encourage future interaction.
  

Solutions

• “When you think Northeast… Think Penn’s Northeast!” — After polling a number of national site selectors and real estate brokers, we determined that peer-to-peer testimonials would be the most effective way to communicate our theme.
• We proposed an ambitious direct mailing campaign that would address specific issues that concerned our client’s target audience. The campaign would consist of a series of unusual packages that highlighted Penn’s Northeast and included fun gifts, memorabilia and testimonials from successful companies located throughout the area.
• Co-marketing relationships were forged with a select group of high-profile number companies throughout the Penn’s Northeast region. Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, Wise Foods, Fairchild Semiconductor, Highlights For Children Magazine, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins professional hockey team and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons professional baseball team all agreed to donate time, products and services. FedEx agreed to sponsor the overnight shipments.
• For a couple months, site selectors and real estate brokers throughout the country received bi-weekly FedEx packages containing custom-made chocolate, sample snack packs and computer chip displays, free magazine subscriptions, and autographed baseball and hockey souvenirs.
  

Results

• The campaign was a huge hit! Penn’s Northeast received rave reviews from site selectors and real estate brokers.
• Response rates averaged five times higher than normal and peaked over 14 times the norm.
• Penn’s Northeast also gained positive press from the marketing effort. The campaign was featured in regional print and broadcast news media.
  

Responses to the Campaign

"Thank you for the Gertrude Hawk Chocolates. ... We appreciate the press releases, keeping our sales associates informed of the available properties within your five (5) county region. Our Industrial Department associates are particularly interested in the available buildings and the relocation incentives that you offer New Jersey and New York companies wishing to relocate to your area. Please continue to keep us informed of the available commercial buildings in your region."

"Thanks so much for the wonderful chocolate. It was great! I look forward to working with you in the very near future."

"Your campaign is great. The boys in the office wolfed down the NEPA candy map in record time. Everyone really enjoyed seeing the Highlights campaign. My six-year-old son Grady and his friend Billy spent hours last night working the Hidden Pictures – great fun."

"Thanks for the chocolate. I will be in your neck of the woods in another week or two, will give you a call to see if you are available for lunch."

"How many more of these great presents are you going to send out over the next few months? Seriously, a great initiative to 'highlight' Penn’s Northeast through some of these great companies."

Thanks again for the cool and tasty package. I'm sorry to repeat myself, but this is such a great campaign. I await the next package with anticipation."