In the past, Connecticut needed therapy.
Somewhere along the way, flanked by 2 world class cities, CT became a 2nd class state. The Atlantic did a nice job explaining why.
So let’s face the music.
Connecticut has been the smart, attractive one (Yale, an educated workforce, bioscience, household income) who has some really troubling personal issues (urban blight, corrupt leaders, big deficits, cost of living).
Fine. But once the music is faced, it’s time to take new steps.
Building on intelligence
Efforts to attract interest in CT as a destination for tourism and business have centered on empty promises (Hartford: New England’s Rising Star) or have tried to connect the past and present (CT. Still revolutionary).
We think the state should be positioning itself as a place where smart, successful people work and play. Twain would agree. So would Wallace Stevens. So would a lot of corporate leaders, celebrities, and financially successful people. Connecticut is an intelligent choice, a smart brand.
The Intellectual Capital
Any brand has pillars, or structural attributes. In the case of CT, we see four.
Location. The irreplaceable attribute that cannot be duplicated by NY or MA or anywhere else. CT has what all prime real estate wants – a prime geographic position with curb appeal.
Industry. Bioscience (including healthcare and pharma, the working ends of precision medicine) is becoming the standard bearer for the state’s identity as a place to do business, to say nothing of the future of medicine and human health. Its success has spread from New Haven to Farmington to New London. CT is where bioscience comes to life, and goes to work. Look at some of the companies who agree.
Education. The intelligence of our population still ranks among the nation’s Top 5, nipping at the heels of neighbor to the north, MA, which has been luring bioscience talent away to the Cambridge/Rte 128 area.
Livability. Two anecdotes. 1. A client of ours left CT for an opportunity to live in Washington DC. He said on the phone, “Tell everyone in CT to shut up and enjoy life. You have no idea how good you have it.” And 2. A tourist from Virginia visiting our hometown of Madison this summer said, “Connecticut is amazing. You can do anything here.”
Beyond branding: Digital Economic Development
Success is far more about what is done than what is said.
To establish a strategic position and build on it, regardless of the brand identity and message, requires digital targeting of potential stakeholders, outreach, content marketing and steadily applied pressure over time.
But the potential is promising: A state that smart people identify with.
Always feel free to contact us for a conversation and a beverage.
