The city of Memphis has been on a PR push in recent months. The state’s largest urban area drew inspiration from recent marketing campaigns out of Detroit.
The cities share similar challenges such as high unemployment as well as more psychological issues, what has been described as a “self esteem problem.”
This web video has been a key part of what’s being called “the comeback campaign.”
The Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau’s $350,000 marketing push includes billboards plastered in Nashville, Little Rock and St. Louis targeting tourists and ex-pats. The next stage is using social media to call native Memphians back home, says Mary Cashiola in the mayor’s office.
“The feeling is always like, ‘well I’m going to be back one day.’ So this campaign asks, ‘well, why not today?’”
Census data shows the population of Memphis shrank over the last decade. Cashiola says the city is trying to build on what she calls a national “buzz” about Memphis, attributed to a recent visit by President Obama and the success of “Memphis” the Broadway musical.
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