• by Larissa Faw , March 1, 2018

Greater Des Moines (DSM), Iowa’s capital city, is seeking local ambassadors to sing its praises as part of its “Live Life Without Compromise” national campaign.

The city's regional chamber of commerce, the Greater Des Moines Partnership worked with Compendium Partners and Trilix on the research, Applied Art & Technology to produce the videos and Register Media for the ad buy.

The campaign centers around local engagement. "We need our residents to proudly share their [DSM] stories to keep our national buzz strong," says Mary Bontrager, executive vice president of talent development, GDMP. The city often lands on “Best Places To Live” lists with its relatively low cost of living and plentiful jobs among other attributes.

Area residents are invited to share their story on either or both The Partnership's blog or #DSMUSA Facebook Group as well as sign up as an official DSM USA Ambassador to receive emails on the latest news and rankings to share on social media.

"These posts can be about a favorite event or activity, a fun fact about DSM, the story of why they moved here or any other story about why they love the region," says a Partnership spokesperson. Some of those contributions will then be used as part of the “Live Life” campaign.

To help further raise awareness, the campaign is split into two ad versions: one geared towards families with children and one geared to millennials and young professionals. These series of videos will showcase real residents with relevant DSM stories, such as the region's affordability to purchase a first home for families and the welcoming nature of the community.

The campaign is targeting these digital-centric audiences primarily on the coasts where the cost of living is comparatively high. To further micro-target potential relocators, these messages will be aimed at alumni of Iowa colleges and people with Iowa ties and those working in key industries, including financial, insurance, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, software, as well as military vets.

This campaign's precision strategy follows an 18-month research project completed in 2017 to launch exactly what encourages and motivates people to move to the region. The main emerging themes were "vibrant, affordable, accessible, welcoming and diverse."

“Continuing to attract talent to Greater Des Moines is key to ensuring our local economy, businesses and community thrive,” said Dan Houston, chairman, president/CEO of Principal Financial Group and The Partnership board chair. “This campaign will help us drive national attention to Greater Des Moines by building on our strong reputation as a great place to live and grow your career.”