Global marketing campaign underway to promote region

The Southern Alberta Investment & Trade Initiative (SAITI) Partnership has wrapped up phase one of their Global Marketing Campaign and is advancing into the second phase.

The international campaign is underway to promote the draws and assets of southern Alberta and is a collaborative effort between Economic Development Lethbridge, Lethbridge County, Alberta SouthWest Regional Alliance, and SouthGrow Regional Initiative.

SAITI recently announced the successful completion of phase one of a global marketing campaign currently underway to advance the region and by showcasing a number of its assets from economic advantages to infrastructure, recreation, and irrigation. According to a March 26 media release issued by South Grow Regional Initiative, the completion of phase one marks a, “significant milestone in the collaborative efforts,” of the campaign.

“Together, these communities have united to drive the region’s marketing goals, positioning Southern Alberta as a premier destination for business and development,” noted Executive Director for SouthGrow Regional Initiative, Peter Casurella, in the release.

In 2022, SAITI was formed with the goal of carrying out a high-visibility campaign with a global reach to market southern Alberta to the rest of the world. To date, the mission of the campaign has been to position Southern Alberta as a desirable epicentre for economic growth, and attract industry and investment to the region, and raise awareness about the many offerings and advantages of living and working in southern Alberta. SAITI ha utilized grant funding to roll out a campaign with tangible impact.

According to the Casurella the results of the campaign from 2022 to 2023 are, “nothing short of impressive.”

The campaign was highly effective in terms of reach, amassing over 20 million views online. Following respectable numbers of reach and engagement in 2022, the 2023 leg of the campaign saw a 400 per cent increase in impressions. The campaign accumulated 46,000 clicks, around four times higher than in 2022, and 11,000 unique website visits, around ten times more than the previous year.

In 2023, the campaign’s existing advertising content to highlight four key areas of appeal within the region including, Sustainable Production, Emerging Technology, Top-Notch Infrastructure, and HighFunctioning Value Chain. This reworking of promotion content proved to be “instrumental in boosting performance across all platforms. Simultaneously witnessing higher impressions and clicks while achieving lower costs underscored the campaign’s effectiveness.”

A new year brings along with it a new phase of the global campaign which will focus on generating leads. While phase one was focused on raising awareness, phase two will be focused on converting clicks into something tangible: real investments. With a shift in desired outcome being sought in phase two, digital marketing strategies will also shift to market to and target businesses actively seeking expansion opportunities.

And for organizations such as Lethbridge County with a vested economic interest in attracting new business to the area, council and administration are have backed up these efforts with municipal legislation including Bylaw 23-024 the Commercial Industrial Municipal Tax Incentive bylaw, which was adopted by council in October, 2023.

“The success of SAITI’s global marketing campaign is a testament to the collaborative spirit and dedication of the communities involved. We are thrilled to enter the next phase, where our focus on lead generation is poised to bring substantial benefits to Southern Alberta,” said Casurella.