In the spring of 2023, we partnered with Allegheny County to implement a comprehensive brand campaign with the goal of raising awareness for the significant strides the region has made in development. With this campaign, county leadership hoped to infuse the county's residents with a sense of pride, loyalty, hope, and optimism and highlight the abundant opportunities available for both residents and businesses.
To better understand the current attitude in Allegheny County, we conducted qualitative research involving key stakeholders, public and private partners, and residents through surveys and interviews.
The data collected helped us understand that while Allegheny County employees were aware and proud of the progress made, in many areas, public sentiment remained focused on past setbacks. However, one thing remained consistent: Residents were proud of their heritage and expressed the desire to see even more improvements in the region.
Armed with this data, we set out to produce a brand campaign that highlighted the historical progress made in an authentic, relatable way, while simultaneously deepening the hometown pride of Allegheny County residents, thereby inspiring them to look ahead to the future.
The resulting, fully integrated ad campaign titled “Proud for a Reason” highlighted a multitude of reasons for residents to take pride in living and working in Allegheny County.
Strategic Brand Messaging
Using the data collected in our research phase, we developed a multi-channel marketing campaign highlighting Allegheny County’s growing business industries, opportunities for affordable housing, green initiatives, unique cultural moments, and the backbone of the county, its people.
Multi-Channel Deployment: We produced and launched digital ads highlighting the “reasons to be proud” on Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Hulu, Snapchat, and YouTube. While tailoring our messaging for each respective audience, we targeted residents from three key geographic areas:
• those living in suburban bedroom communities
• those in rural, former steel mill communities
• those within the city of Pittsburgh, the economic heart of the county
As a unique feature of the campaign, residents were invited to interact with the dedicated campaign landing page (which we designed and partnered with the county to implement). They were asked to contribute their personal reasons for their pride in the county, as well as subscribe to a monthly newsletter that features the many “reasons" why residents should be proud, excited, and hopeful about the economic future of the county.
This interactive element served not only to drive engagement but also to fortify the sense of pride and loyalty among residents, making this campaign a powerful testament to the unity and progress of Allegheny County.
The "Proud for a Reason" campaign launched with impressive metrics that surpassed benchmarks.
Extensive Reach and Engagement:
The campaign achieved a remarkable 11,421,838 cumulative impressions across digital and traditional media.
Exactly 70,910 clicks were recorded, demonstrating significant engagement with the campaign.
The click-through rate (CTR) for digital ads stood at 0.62%, indicating effective audience targeting and message resonance. The Cost Per Click was $1.24.
Media Performance:
Meta, Youtube, Snapchat, Hulu and Radio throughout the flight from September – December.
Meta: Our ads generated 20,799,903 impressions and 159,460 clicks across Meta throughout the campaign.
Youtube: View Rate of 27.73%. This View Rate is 10.35% above the platform benchmark of 25%.
Snapchat: The campaign had 1,848,933 Impressions. We saw 43,807 Swipe Ups and a Swipe Up Rate of 2.37%. This is 108.79% above the benchmark Swipe Up Rate of 0.70%.
Hulu: During the flight, our Hulu campaign served 1,365,697 completed impressions.
Radio: During the flight, our radio campaign served 15,420,224 impressions across 1,689 spots.
Using diverse media channels ensured that the campaign message was consistently presented across all community contact points.
By providing the target audiences with all the "Reasons to be Proud" about living in Allegheny County and inviting them to provide their own, the campaign successfully reinforced the residents’ sense of gratification and achievement, as well as the county’s commitment to thoughtful and strategic growth that honors the past and inspires the future. By clearly articulating and visualizing its many resources, such as its growing businesses, green initiatives, and cultural opportunities, this case study exemplifies how interactive marketing can help enhance public awareness and support for the local community.
