In Regina, Saskatchewan, a marketing campaign aims to lure transplants from more expensive parts of Canada. In Rockford, IL, holiday billboards urge those who’ve moved away to come home. In Greensboro, NC, the city is dispelling its “Greens-boring” moniker and trying to bring back former residents. All three are examples of midsized cities aiming to lure educated residents to locales that might lack in glamor but offer other benefits.
The Made for Rockford, campaign hit billboards just before Thanksgiving. The goal: Encourage people visiting Rockford for the holidays to make the city their home once again. It was the second year that Made for Rockford bought billboard space targeting potential “boomerangers,” the name given to people who return home after time living away.
“So many people return to Rockford for the holidays and instantly reconnect with what they loved about growing up here,” Whitney Martin director of GoRockford’s Made for Rockford program, said. “Our message is simple: if it feels like home for one weekend, it can feel like home for good.”
More on all three ‘time to move’ campaigns appears in the March issue of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.
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