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Metro Denver uses 'unconventional' marketing at the DNC

The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (Metro Denver EDC) is using some "unconventional" marketing to reach over 15,000 national and international media attending this week's 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver. The Metro Denver EDC is a $250,000 corporate sponsor of the DNC.

During the Convention, the Metro Denver EDC, with the help of its investors, partners, and Denver Metro Chamber staff members are manning a 1,000-square-foot "Media Lounge" in Media Pavilion #4 on the Pepsi Center grounds. The state of Colorado and Molson Coors also
sponsored the lounge and OfficeScapes and Aveda Academy served as contributing sponsors.

Billed as the "Metro Denver Media Spa," the lounge is a place for reporters to get a daily dose of business information and altitude adjustment. At the lounge, journalists not only get press kits and help with story ideas, but a space to have a beer, get a massage, or have a custom political button made.

"We have over 70 volunteers staffing the lounge 12 hours each day," said Janet Fritz, director of marketing and technology for the Metro Denver EDC. "The reporters we're talking to are not only very receptive to our spa treatments but also of our key business story lines such as energy, transportation, and workforce. We hope to have several future articles touting the business advantages of Metro Denver."

The Metro Denver EDC's national public relations efforts prior to the Convention have resulted in several top-tier placements, most notably, a 15-minute feature on Public Radio's Marketplace. The article,  "Denver's ambitions are a mile high," features an extensive interview with the Metro Denver EDC's executive vice president Tom Clark and highlights the region's "economic hot spots," including the energy industry, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Fitzsimons, and FasTracks.

Additional DNC-related marketing strategies include:

  • Creation of a DNC Media Center on metrodenver.org with key business messages, an online media kit, and spokesperson information.
  • The launch of a Metro Denver EDC Twitter Feed highlighting pre-DNC news and activities at the Metro Denver EDC's DNC media lounge.
  • Release of an the first-ever online version of the 2008-2009 Metro Denver Economic Profile.
  • Advertising in the Colorado Business + Economy Guide in the Aug. 24 issue of the Denver Post.
  • Giveaways promoting Metro Denver's Energetic Bodies. Energetic Minds. brand.