Tired of living in New York City”™s shadow, the Fairfield County Public Relations Association relaunched the Connecticut creative corridor initiative, now named C3, at its annual meeting.
With new leadership and a strategic plan in place, keynote speaker and C3 pioneer Luke Scott said the initiative is ready to take off, almost a year since it was announced. Its goal: Attract top talent and clients by rebranding “sleepy” Fairfield County as a hotbed of creative talent.
“There”™s a ton of agencies here,” said Scott, also the creative director at Westport-based Madison Mott. “And we”™re a force to be reckoned with.”
But the stereotype that people in Connecticut are rich, boring and snobby is a force that drives down the area”™s potential, C3 organizers say. It makes it more difficult to convince new talent to move to the area, commuters to stay put and Connecticut businesses to consider local agencies for their creative campaigns.
“Big companies in Connecticut are looking outside of Connecticut,” Scott said at the meeting June 20. “We want them to be looking in their backyard.”
Ironically, even the Connecticut Department of Culture and Tourism hired a New York agency instead of one in Connecticut to create a national ad campaign to raise the state”™s profile to the world””a goal similar to C3”™s””as a part of a $22 million promotional effort by the state.
Citing changes in the communities”™ demographics and achievement gaps, Chris Bruhl, the CEO of the Business Council of Fairfield County, encouraged FCPRA members to participate in the initiative.
Without accelerating small firms”™ growth and encouraging entrepreneurs, Bruhl said Fairfield County “doesn”™t have much of an economic future.” Going forward, Bruhl said today”™s industries must adapt to change, find strength in numbers and have a plan for the future.
Rewriting the “the old book” on Connecticut, C3 is encouraging local agencies to work together and create a “town hall” to facilitate collaboration and hybrid projects. They hope to create an agency matchmaking website for prospective clients and create more developmental opportunities, such as mentorships and skill workshops.
In February, the Fairfield Business Journal reported that the FCPRA”™s Marian Salzman, the president at that time, had met resistance from local creative agencies when she asked them, for a promotional video she was making, to admit to working in Fairfield County instead of New York City. But Scott said he hoped the relaunch last week would encourage local agencies to take pride in their location and give the initiative the momentum it needs.
“We need to stand out,” Scott said. “Together we”™re that much taller.”
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