Area buzzing with good publicity

How does a company gain mindshare with its target audience? Why do some products or services break out of the pack and create consumer demand and others don't? What causes people to think about you, talk about you and ultimately buy-in to what you have to sell? One word buzz.

Buzz, word of mouth, publicity or exposure refers to a heightened awareness of a product or service, or in the case of Reno-Sparks and northwestern Nevada, a region.

Of late, northwestern Nevada has created a lot of buzz.

Reno- Sparks has recently scored national rankings as a top place to live and do business.

In the past six months, Reno- Sparks has been among America's best and the scorecard speaks for itself: Men's Journal, June 2004: "50 Best Places to Live" - Reno-Sparks ranked eighth best small city to live.

Forbes, May 24, 2004: "Best Places for Business and Careers" - Reno-Sparks named 25th out of 150 cities.

Inc.

Magazine, March 2004: "Top Cities for Doing Business in America" - Reno-Sparks was ranked sixth among mid-size cities.

Time Magazine, November 2003 article "Where the Jobs Are" - Reno-Sparks was named as one of the hottest places in America for people to find jobs.

The region's buzz factor has been further ignited by the opening of the downtown kayak course and winning such world-class sporting events as the Mastercraft Pro Wakeboard Tour taking place at the Sparks Marina June 4-6 putting the region on the map with outdoor enthusiasts.

Nevada's historic men's basketball NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance placed the national spotlight on northwestern Nevada for a few weeks this spring and the opening of the Nevada Museum of Art single-handedly garnered national publicity in such media giants as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

Additionally, the region's overall favorable business climate has spurred an exodus of California companies looking for a better bottom-line resulting in extensive media coverage of the area.

There are other local buzz factors that have equally contributed to placing northwestern Nevada on the national media radar and in turn in the minds of Americans.

Through the proactive efforts of many regional entities including, but certainly not limited to, the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority (RSCVA), the Chambers of Commerce of Reno and Sparks, Nevada Commission on Economic Development, the cities of Reno and Sparks,Washoe County, the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, the

University of Nevada and the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) our region's story is being told and people are starting to notice.

Buzz is not by chance nor does it happen overnight.

Getting people to notice and talk about you is strategic and long-term.

In the case of northwestern Nevada, it's about collaborating as a region to promote our area assets and developing relationships with the media to tell the story.

Publicity, in the form of media coverage, provides results to the region in the form of third-party credibility that comes from a story that runs in USA Today or on television or radio about how Nevada is accommodating California businesses or that Reno- Sparks is among the nation's top residential markets as a recent article in Fortune magazine reported.

Having a reporter cover how northwestern Nevada is diversifying its economy as gamingplus or how the region is developing as an arts and culture mecca is implicitly more powerful and believable than if it was just us touting "us." Getting our part of the country noticed by visitors, business travelers, CEOs, investors and convention and meeting planners is critical to maintaining the economic momentum of the past year.

Buzz can help us address the misperception across the country that Reno- Sparks is a dried-up gaming town where people go to get a quickie divorce or that we're located adjacent to Las Vegas.

These are comments often heard from focus groups and research the regional organizations have done.

Buzz counters misperception by bringing people to the area because they read a story in their Sunday newspaper or hear something on radio that catches their attention.

Tourism and business officials stand by the notion that if we can get people to visit they will have a positive experience, whether for leisure or business, and want to return.

This strategy is proven as many of the companies that EDAWN and its partnership with the Northern Nevada Development Authority (NNDA) have located to the area mention being pleasantly surprised about the region's business-friendly climate and quality of life.

It's a powerful combination that influences them to make the decision to do business here versus another state.

Buzz can position and brand northwestern Nevada as a great place to live and do business, but it's not a one-shot deal.

It takes commitment from all of us as residents and a business community to ensure our region's story keeps getting out to the media and to a national audience in a positive and consistent fashion.

It starts with us touting and telling others why we love this place and builds to others noticing.

A public relations colleague of mine coined a phrase that I think epitomizes what public relations and buzz is all about and it seems appropriate for our region's ongoing promotion - PR is gentle pressure relentlessly applied.

Julie Ardito is the director of public relations at the Economic Development Authority ofWestern Nevada.