Start Here Business Attraction Marketing Campaign Launches in Downtown Cobourg

Posted on Thursday June 28, 2018

(Cobourg, ON) June 28, 2018 – The Town of Cobourg, Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) and the Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce are pleased to announce the official launch of the Start Here Business Attraction Marketing campaign for Downtown Cobourg.

“The Start Here Downtown Business Attraction Marketing campaign was created by the Downtown Marketing Partnership to further fulfill Council’s strategic objective stating that we will complete the business attraction component of the Downtown Vitalization Action Plan,” said Mayor Gil Brocanier. “We look forward to further rolling out this successfully executed marketing campaign as a team.”

The 12-month campaign is focused on building relationships and increasing awareness and interest in Downtown Cobourg as a future business location and will target potential business owners within a 45 minute radius of Cobourg, businesses with multiple (franchise) locations experiencing growth and new entrepreneurs with a unique business concept.

The Start Here Downtown Business Attraction Marketing campaign is focused on attracting:

Supermarkets and other grocery stores
Clothing stores including women’s clothing and accessories stores
Specialty food stores
A full service restaurant (preferably a mid-scale family restaurant)

The business attraction marketing campaign also contains seven strategies that the Town of Cobourg’s Communications Department and Economic Development staff are tasked to complete. Five of these seven strategies have been completed with the final two being implemented in the fall.

“In my 10 years working in Downtown Cobourg, the Start Here Business Attraction Marketing campaign is one of the most visible initiatives promoting why interested businesses should start here,” said Adam Bureau, Chairman of the Downtown Business Improvement Area. “Our mission as the DBIA is to promote and improve our downtown and the Start Here campaign is a wonderful addition to our on-going efforts.”

The campaign strategies implemented to-date include:

1. Developing fresh marketing materials with the marketing theme of Start Here: The most prominent marketing tactic being the wrapping of empty Downtown storefronts into an attractive visual of what could exist within those spaces, 11 Downtown business owner video testimonials, candid interviews, a sizzle video, new and improved professional photographs of Downtown Cobourg and a professionally branded website www.startherecobourg.ca.

2. Conducting a social media campaign: For months the Start Here campaign has been teased out in the Town of Cobourg’s weekly ad block in the Northumberland News and on the Town’s social media accounts.

3. Creation of a website with fresh content: The new webpage www.startherecobourg.ca is now live and includes video testimonials, a campaign sizzle video, a listing of available downtown spaces, information on incentive programs and more.

4. Engaging target businesses at trade shows: Town staff have attended two trade shows within target sectors.

5. Utilizing public relations to earn media coverage: The Communications Department has been actively teasing out the campaign across social media, engaged news outlets prior to the media launch and then again at the official media launch of the campaign.

The remaining two strategies will commence in the fall of 2018 and include:

6. Hosting an ‘Explore the Core’ event: Scheduled for September 12, 2018.

7. Launching an online, print and broadcast advertising campaign: Scheduled for the fall of 2018.

Town staff have developed performance measures to determine the success of the campaign and will become part of the report card provided to Council by the Downtown Coalition along with other projects outlined in the Downtown Vitalization Action Plan.

For more information on the Start Here Business Attraction Marketing campaign visit www.startherecobourg.ca.