Crystal Coast.
Client: Carteret County Economic Development Bureau
Carteret County, otherwise known as the Southern Outer Banks, and mostly known as The Crystal Coast, is beautiful. It also boasts terrific schools and great healthcare. Once people discover the Crystal Coast, they love it for their entire lives.
The Carteret County Economic Development Bureau learned of our economic development strategies and was eager to work with us in attracting remote workers from the Triangle region, and skilled tradespeople from across central and eastern North Carolina, to consider living and working from their incredible communities.
The process.
After a series of calls and meetings with the client, it became clear that their low off-season tax base put a lot of stress on the local economy. Many of its residents only live their part-time, thus operating a business can be challenging. But with remote work becoming a growing reality, the Economic Bureau wanted to attract new residents.
From past experience, we know cross-channel campaigns are the most effective, so together we settled on dynamic storytelling through numerous videos, branded content, a new website, promotion of content on social media, a targeting ad campaign, and placement of creative on WRAL.com and WRAL Techwire.
The overall message would not shy away from the fact that they have world class beaches, but that in addition to that, they also have affordable living, great healthcare, and some of the top schools in North Carolina. Living here, raising a family here, and retiring here are all great options enhanced by beach lifestyle, but not dependent on it. In the Crystal Coast, you can have it all!
The deliverables.
1) Branded Content
The campaign launched with a series of branded content articles hitting on everything from the Crystal Coast’s lowest tax rate in the state, thriving arts culture, and fantastic shoulder seasons, to various reasons its communities are growing and poised for continued growth. An article about I-42 garnered especially wide attention as it meant a quicker vacation and travel route for Raleigh residents.
2) Video Production
At the bottom of most of the branded content articles, we placed videos we had produced that highlighted and interviewed various Carteret County success stories and residents who represented to Economic Bureau’s target market. We featured remote workers, skilled workers, successful entrepreneurs, and of course, families. The decision to relocate usually ends up being a family-life decision, so it was important that all videos pointed back to that big insight.
3) Website Refresh
Our client had only recently redone their website, so they did not need us to rethink or question what they had just built. However, we were given the opportunity to give it a slight visual refresh in order to help it match the energy and vibe of the ongoing campaign. All client needs are different and our job is to serve where we are able. The client’s goals and our goals are always the same: help the client refine and amplify their core message, and then tell it in the most concise and interesting way possible.
4) Ad Campaign
We also launched the “Beach +” campaign, where we reminded people that while the beach is great, it is the addition to the great beaches that make the Crystal Coast such a compelling place. Again, when you have some of the top public schools and test scores in the state, and great healthcare, and great dining options, and the lowest tax in the state? People are going to take notice.
The results.
Thanks to a great client and a lot of fun but hard work, the campaign reached a staggering 318,000 unique users for an average of nearly three minutes with reasons to believe in life and work “where they vacation.” We continually promoted the campaign through targeted media and social using the WRAL TV Facebook page, which helped tremendously.
Client website traffic increased dramatically period over period. In the end, the Bureau reported increased visibility and satisfaction with both the campaign, as well as our strategic and creative capabilities.
