ABQ marketing campaign targets six cities nationwide

Albuquerque’s new $1 million marketing campaign probably will not include an ad in the New York Times.

But the city-funded effort to bolster Albuquerque’s national and international reputation as a friendly place for entrepreneurs will have videos ripe for Facebook sharing. It will have memes. It may even have day-in-the-life footage of local startup leaders as captured with a pair of Snapchat smart glasses.

New York-based Rough Draft NYC and Albuquerque’s McKee Wallwork + Co. launched a new campaign Tuesday. It’s designed around social media, including a new “network of networks” called “The Loop;” a revamped Albuquerque Innovation Central website and other channels deemed the most cost-effective to reach the target audiences of millennials and young boomers.

“A million dollars sounds like a lot of money, but in today’s world if you go the traditional route, it’s not a lot of money,” Mayor Richard Berry said during a flashy unveiling event at the Keshet Ideas and Innovation Center.

Rough Draft NYC co-founder Glenn Pajarito said research shows “awareness of Albuquerque in an entrepreneurial context is low.” Knowing it would be difficult to capture an audience in places like New York City or San Francisco, the campaign will target cities where he said Albuquerque’s message could compete — specifically San Jose and Oakland, Calif., Denver, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Austin, Texas. Albuquerque’s relatively low cost of living and doing business could resonate in California, for example, while its climate might appeal to Minnesotans.

No matter the audience or platform, authenticity will reign supreme.

“Albuquerque is the face of this campaign. We’re not hiring any models, we’re not hiring any actors,” Pajarito said.

One of the campaign’s first products, a short film featuring local entrepreneur/Lavu founder Andy Lim exploring Albuquerque with a pair of filmmakers, was screened Tuesday.

The playful 8-minute video is the kind of content that could go up on abqic.com — an existing website recently remade to appeal to a more national audience  — and through “The Loop,” the new social media platform Steve McKee announced Tuesday. Click here to read the full article.