Posts tagged ‘Idaho’
Idavation – How do you Market a State?
I had the chance to attend a local event yesterday called Idavation. This event is in its 4th year (formerly Kickstart) and was created by the local entrepreneur support organization, Kickstand, in which I have been heavily involved over the last 5 years.
I have been involved in the creative economy here in Boise, for a while now and it finally feels like there is a ground swell beginning to happen. Despite its myriad of national rankings in publications ranging from Fortune to Inc, at times it seems the success the Treasure Valley has seen is nothing more than a happy accident.
To begin with, while there is support from local government, the state government has gone beyond apathy to sheer negligence of the technology and creative industries here in Idaho. Our rankings in research, monetary support for technology, and tax incentives are abysmal. In one of our rankings we are even behind Puerto Rico. Not only does the state government, and Governor Otter specifically, show a complete lack of support for the industry that drives the majority of the state’s growth, at times it seems as if they actively campaign against it.
However, what I see now is a voice that refuses to be silenced. I witnessed entrepreneurs, service providers, and public officials come together together at the Idavation event to discuss how we can continue to grow these industries in Idaho. With a keynote from Gary Hoover (founder of Hoover’s Online) to kick things off, discussion centered around business creation, technology transfer, and how to overcome the negative side effects of doing business from Idaho.
Kickstand has been a fixture in the community for the last 7 years or so, however, now there are other pieces of the ecosystem falling into place. The Watercooler, which I mentioned in a previous post, gives this movement a gathering place. After hearing a couple of speeches from Mayor Dave Bieter of Boise, I firmly believe the City is not only behind the efforts, but donating funds and resources to the cause.
Kickstand has recently launched the Entrepreneur Resource Network (ERN) which is an online directory of service providers for entrepreneurs. A group of technology executives have banded together to create the Idaho Software Employers Alliance in order to encourage computer science education among other support for the technology industry. Funding alliances like the Boise Angel Alliance and Fund and the Keiretsu Forum have active groups in the area and are starting to fund new ventures. Groups have popped up to support and document the tech industry in Boise like TechBoise. Even the local university, Boise State, has changed its mission to become a “Metropolitan Research University of Distinction”.
Putting my marketing hat on, if I were to take Governor Otter through a strategy session, it would go something like this. First, can Idaho be number one in agriculture? It can hold its own, but it is definitely not number one. Heck, Idaho is almost not even number one in potatoes anymore since Washington keeps stealing its market share. The reality is that agriculture is the past. You still want to maintain a strong agricultural base, but if Idaho were to focus its efforts on raw goods, it would experience declining terms of trade. As the picture below shows, except for a blip during World War II, generally raw goods decrease in price over time. (By the way, I stole this from Professor Roy Nelson’s PowerPoint at Thunderbird School of Global Management)
However, what Idaho does have going for it are some of the biggest rankings and PR of any state for technology and business creation. Idaho and Boise regularly receive accolades from Forbes, Fortune, and Inc for being a technology hotbed, being a great place to start a business, and for being a great place to work and play. Boise has two key anchor employers in HP and Micron and now with the addition of Microsoft, has several of the biggest names in technology right here. It has all of the previously mentioned efforts working in conjunction with each other to create a ripe technology environment. It appears that technology and entrepreneurism are the future of Idaho.
How do you market a state? You pick what it is that you do best and you focus. It is the same principles that apply to any business venture. If politicians thought more like business people, then states would be better at positioning themselves to grow. If you try to mean everything to everyone, you end up meaning nothing to nobody. It is amazing what a unique vision can do to rally the resources of an entire state around a core cause.
When Advertising Can Make You a Mockery
Those of you who live outside of Idaho may not quite understand the college football environment in the state, so let me give you a quick recap.
Boise State hates the University of Idaho (long story). The University of Idaho hates Boise State with the passion of hell fire. Boise State has had one of the winningest football programs in the country since about the year 2000. Idaho has had one of the worst football programs in the country since the same time.
Let me also preface this opinion with the fact that I am a Boise State alum, although I would really like to see 2 great football teams in the State of Idaho. However, we have here a great case study on how not to use advertising.
The Idaho Vandals recently put out a poster of their football team that is… interesting, to say the least. It features the entire football team with their shirts off, oiled up muscles, and the word “Toughness” above them.
However, the case study lies in what the intention was behind the poster. As you know, most teams try to come up with some slogan every year. Boise State has run through a few like “Leave no Doubt”, “Amp it Up”, and one that I created that they stole – “Keep it Rollin’”. It gets the team and the fan base motivated.
However, creating a poster that says “Toughness” above a team that has gone 10-37 in the last 4 seasons is simply an oxymoron. At the very least, the goal of motivating the team and the fan base has had the opposite effect. They are getting plenty of buzz, but for all of the wrong reasons. They have been scoffed at on talk radio, in blogs (and here and here), and even some coverage on GayWired.com.
A lot of companies take this same approach. They think by simply creating a catchy new tagline, consumers will forget all of the horrible experiences they have had in the past (i.e. Qwest’s Spirit of Service). This is what you call putting lipstick on the pig. Sorry my oily friends, but the burger has to look like the picture.
The reality is that the University of Idaho Vandals need to earn the word “Toughness” by giving their fans a great experience (a single winning season would be a start). In the meantime, maybe a tagline like “We’re not Going to Take it Anymore” or “One Step at a Time” would be more appropriate.
And for heaven’s sake, put your shirts on!
