When the New North, Inc. marketing and branding committee rolled out its fourth talent attraction marketing campaign, the goal was to reach the sometimes-elusive Generation Z. So that, says New North, Inc. Vice President for Marketing and Investor Relations Renee Torzala, meant taking to TikTok.
“We’re using TikTok for the first time ever,” Torzala says. “The newly launched TikTok has 163,000 video views, 99% [of which] were under the age of 34, so that’s clearly the demographic we’re trying to reach.”
But selecting marketing channels is only one aspect of the mix; getting the messaging right was critical.
Torzala says the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s 2022 Wisconsin Perception Report informed the new campaign’s messaging, as did state tourism research — the reasons people visit an area can often be the same reasons they move there. Weather was the top negative for Wisconsin in the WEDC study and an attitude the committee felt it could help shift; meanwhile, outdoor recreation had risen to the top of Wisconsin’s tourism attraction list. Marrying these messaging opportunities led the committee to the idea of a four-seasons “outdoor adventure” campaign that was eventually branded as “Find Your True North,” a tag that nods equally to the concepts of authenticity, purpose and, well, geography.
The goal is to help prospective residents understand, Torzala says, that the New North region offers the best of both urban and outdoor living, with the latter characterized by 5,000 miles of river, 415 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, six of Golf Digest’s top 100 public courses and 2,500 miles of trails.
“Here you can have urban amenities with the outdoor recreation and rural type of living as well — high quality of life, and just showcasing the best of both,” she says.
Online incline
Find Your True North, which launched early this year, features an overview video that has been viewed more than 1 million times, a blog, social media posts and even a contract with an influencer, Seth Hatherly, who moved to Green Bay from North Carolina in 2022.
Torzala says working with an influencer was also a first for New North, Inc., but the results have been positive.
“You’re automatically, immediately exposed to a whole large audience of [an influencer’s] followers that they’ve already built. So it’s just expanding visibility to your organization to their followers,” she says. “We liked [Hatherly’s] authenticity, and the thing we know from research is that [Gen Z] responds so much more to candid content, rather than a very produced video.”
Hatherly, a recent High Point University graduate who uses the online handle @bigoleseth and describes his geography as “from Appalachia to the Frozen Tundra,” has created videos that document his adventures in fishing, hiking, golfing and even exploring the Two Rivers origins of the ice cream sundae. The videos are native to TikTok, but they are also available on Instagram and on New North, Inc.’s website. Torzala says the campaign has helped her organization increase its social media following by 28% and driven significant website activity.
“We have had an 83% increase in total users and 52% increase in total sessions on our website,” she says.
A winning team effort
Torzala credits the breadth of knowledge and experience on New North, Inc.’s marketing and branding committee for not only the success of Find Your True North, but its three other talent attraction campaigns — New North Hires Heroes, More YOU in NEW and Cool Stuff.
“It’s a great sounding board for how people might respond to whatever content we’re creating,” she says. “They ultimately become brand ambassadors because they’re just as passionate about our messaging and what it’s like to live and work here.”
Those marketing efforts have netted respect and attention within the economic development community. This fall, New North, Inc. received a 2024 Community and Economic Development Award from the Wisconsin Economic Development Association. The four talent campaigns together were recognized at a WEDA event Sept. 26 in Eau Claire; New North, Inc. was nominated in the talent attraction, development and retention category.
The campaigns, which are estimated to have helped bring 15,000 new residents to the region over the last three years — at a time when other areas of the Midwest and of Wisconsin are losing population — are effective because of their authenticity, Torzala says.
“Studies show that authentic stories of real people are effective because they give a personal glimpse into someone’s life,” she says. “We will keep sharing the compelling stories of our region to attract new talent to the great state of Wisconsin.”
