Torrington hires marketing organization to encourage city

The state’s very own website, portal.ct.gov, has info on the Office of Financial and Neighborhood Advancement for corporations fascinated in going in or relocating to Connecticut, as perfectly as enterprises trying to find new homes or progress prospects.

But according to metropolis Financial Growth Director Rista Malanca, the city’s initiatives thus much, this kind of as on the internet promotion, newsletters and other communications, need a force in the ideal course.

The Town Council on Aug. 7 accredited paying $38,500 to employ Minz + Hoke, a firm out of Avon, to establish new promoting methods, and Katina Hungerford to apply social media content and marketing. The income to employ the consultants will come from the economic development department’s spending budget and the city’s Building Wholesome Communities grant fund, which was set up through the pandemic. 

“We realized we desired strategic marketing and advertising strategy guidance, to publicize the city and what it has to present,” Malanca said. “How do we get extra information and facts out there? So we are selecting a marketing consultant, Minz + Hoke.”

A total of 11 proposals have been submitted to the city immediately after it issued a Ask for for Proposals. A three-man or woman committee evaluated and rated every single a person. 

“We asked for skills and how they would carry out a promoting strategy. We want to know how (to promote) the belongings that we have, mainly because we’re not observing the traction from what we’ve been accomplishing. (Selecting this company) will give us some of that traction.”

The marketing enterprise, she mentioned, has knowledge in building video clips to even more illustrate Torrington’s assets. “I are unable to do that,” Malanca mentioned. “Minz + Hoke has the capability to enable us with matters like that. … They do it all.”

“With a strategic adviser to enable us, we can bring in tourism, and attract company,” Carbone explained. “If a consultant claims (we should really) air a industrial on tv, for illustration, we might get the job done with producers from the adviser to run that variety of ad.”

Other advertising tries have been produced in the final couple several years. In 2021, Torrington set out a very similar RFP, asking for providers or consultants with movie and social media knowledge. This undertaking concentrated on residing in Torrington the filmed promotions had been applied on social media, sites and other advertising efforts, largely on Facebook and YouTube, and perhaps Instagram, Malanca mentioned at the time. Topics to be provided in the advertising could be dwelling, operating and viewing the town, with a focus on tourism, eating places, art and outside recreation, she reported.

In 2020, in an energy to revive the peaceful downtown during the pandemic, the metropolis employed Blue Haus Team, an economic advancement and actual estate organization. The company created a a few-period program, which was meant to use empty areas downtown for pop-up situations to draw people to the centre of the metropolis. Blue Haus generates popup routines in a city’s downtown spots, in which inhabitants can get for online games or are living music, for case in point.

Blue Haus founder Tim Moore frequented the town and satisfied with Malanca and Mayor Elinor Carbone. In the course of his check out, Moore rode close to town on his bicycle, and identified spaces outdoors for popup events.