Elevating the Mountain State: Transforming Perception Through Strategic Public Relations

martinhallagency22

2 years ago

By Maggie Stewart

How well do you know the story of a state steeped in natural beauty, rich culture and growing innovation? West Virginia, home to over 1.3 million acres of national forest and a thriving community of musicians and artists, is ready for a new narrative. Through strategic public relations, we can reshape how the world sees the Mountain State by highlighting its strengths, celebrating its unique culture, while also still acknowledging its challenges

At Martin Hall Agency, we believe that every campaign begins with a strong strategy rooted in authenticity and creativity. This blog outlines how West Virginia can use public relations to elevate its public image and demonstrates how these strategies and tactics can be applied to real-world campaigns in the advertising and public relations industries.

Spotlighting Emerging Industries

West Virginia is no longer just a coal state – it’s a state brimming with innovation. In the last few years, the technology and information industries have seen skyrocketing growth, particularly in North-Central West Virginia. According to the Seattle Times, “West Virginia has made a commitment to building out their infrastructure and advanced telecommunications in the North-central region of the state.” This presents a golden public relations opportunity to position the state as a leader in innovation. By creating compelling narratives around the success stories of local companies and their contributions to the state and local economy, West Virginia can challenge already established perceptions and inspire confidence in the state’s future.

Possible PR Strategies and Tactics:

Media Relations: Share profiles of tech start-ups and emerging companies in the tech and information sectors thriving in WV like Fusion Technology or Kodiak Robotics.
Partnerships: Collaborate with other universities in the state, like Marshall or Fairmont State University, to highlight what role they (universities) play in fostering innovation in these areas.
Content Creation: Putting out engaging videos featuring local employees and businesses, showcasing how tech is helping reshape the state’s identity.

Media relations and content creation strategies can be applied to any rebranding effort. Putting a spotlight on what you do well, puts your best foot forward and lets you set the tone for what you want the narrative shift to look like.

People gathered for the annual Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant W.Va On September 16^th, 2023.

Toy, S. (n.d.). Wild, wonderful and weird: West Virginia Mothman Festival Returns. Chronicle. https://shawneestatechronicle.com/5491/uncategorized/wild-wonderful-and-weird-west-virginia-mothman-festival-returns/

Building Community

Local events and festivals celebrating West Virginia and Appalachian traditions occur throughout the state each year. Events like the Mothman Festival and Appalachian Heritage Days showcase the rich sense of community that West Virginia has. They weave a tapestry of artistry, celebrating everything from local musicians, crafters, and artisans to farmers. W.Va. truly has a history of building community within itself through events. To amplify these efforts, PR campaigns can focus on storytelling to bring these traditions to life for outside audiences.

Possible PR Strategies and Tactics:

Event Marketing: Partnering with travel bloggers or influencers and having them attend and document these events, reinforcing the message of warmth and hospitality.
Digital Content: Creating a social media campaign that lets residents and visitors interact and share their favorite moments using fun hashtags like #CelebrateWV or #WVMoments.
Video Spotlights: Creating long-form video content showcasing the artists and performers who bring these events to life would add to the narrative being built.

These strategies can be applied broadly to other campaigns’ digital strategies. Using hashtags makes your event more identifiable on social media and can extend its reach. By partnering with bloggers or influencers, you can tap into their already established audience and expand your reach even further.

Graph showing WV’s opioid overdoes death rates are rising, while the rest of the country see a decline.

WRITER, L. Cottrell STAFF. (2024, May 18). West Virginia sees rise in opioid overdose deaths while nation sees decrease, according to CDC. WV News. https://www.wvnews.com/business/west-virginia-sees-rise-in-opioid-overdose-deaths-while-nation-sees-decrease-according-to-cdc/article_9681a0d8-12d4-11ef-aac9-7b92c97320c6.html

Balancing Honesty & Optimism

Building trust in a public relations campaign requires transparency. West Virginia faces significant challenges, including struggles with healthcare (ranked 48th nationally), infrastructure, and the ongoing opioid crisis. However, these challenges also present opportunities to highlight the state’s resilience and progress.

Possible PR Strategies and Tactics:

Highlighting Solutions: Showcase programs WVU Medicine’s community health initiatives (e.g., Farm To You) or Ready, Read, Write West Virginia, which works to improve literacy in students.
Human-Centered Stories: Share stories of people or organizations working to address these issues, like video content of after-school programs or at addiction facilities like Healthy Minds.
Data-Driven Messaging: Pair statistics with stories of measurable improvements, creating a more balanced narrative of the challenges and progress.

These strategies could be applied more broadly to other campaigns. Showing human-centered stories gives a face to your campaign that it may otherwise be lacking, and data-driven messaging, if balanced correctly with the human touch, can also foster credibility.

Inspiration From Others

Other examples of rebrands that went well can be used to further understand what a successful narrative shift looks like. Consider Cleveland State University, which was once overshadowed by all the larger schools in Ohio like The Ohio State and Case Western Reserve. CSU reshaped its image through strategic rebranding efforts highlighting its strengths and creating a fresh identity.

Key Strategies and Tactics:

Emphasizing Strengths: By focusing on its ideal downtown location, CSU positioned itself as a university that is woven into the culture of the city
Showcasing Innovation: By promoting partnerships with local businesses and up-and-coming industries, such as internships with Fortune 500 companies like Xcel Energy and Leidos, CSU demonstrated its commitment to preparing students for the workforce and supporting businesses in the Cleveland area.
Engaging With Stakeholders: The university used different means of engaging with the community to get their perspectives on the students and alumni, like community town halls. This helps build a more cohesive narrative around the transformation.

Shaping The Future of WV’s Narrative

Changing perceptions isn’t about hiding problems—it’s about telling a more complete story. West Virginia has the natural beauty, cultural richness, and growing innovation to inspire pride and attract attention. The state can balance transparency with optimism through strategic public relations efforts, positioning itself as a destination for progress and possibility.

Works Cited:

The Seattle Times Company. (n.d.). The Seattle Times. https://jobs.seattletimes.com/article/west-virginias-fast-growing-it-and-high-tech-sectors/46076

Where West Virginia places in the U.S. News Best States rankings. (n.d.). https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/west-virginia

Martin Hall Agency. (n.d.-a). https://martinhallagency.com/

Home. FUSION TECHNOLOGY. (n.d.). https://www.fusiontechnology-llc.com/

Kodiak robotics is safely driving an autonomous future. Kodiak. (n.d.). https://kodiak.ai/

Live your marshall moment. Marshall University. (2024, November 15). https://www.marshall.edu/

Welcome to Fairmont State. Fairmont State University. (n.d.). https://www.fairmontstate.edu/

Mothman Festival®. MOTHMAN FESTIVAL®. (n.d.). https://www.mothmanfestival.com/

Appalachian Heritage Days. Almost Heaven – West Virginia. (n.d.). https://wvtourism.com/event/appalachian-heritage-days-3/

Home: Health Sciences: West Virginia University. Home | Health Sciences | West Virginia University. (n.d.). https://health.wvu.edu/farm-to-you/

Ready read write. West Virginia Department of Education. (2023, November 1). https://wvde.us/ready-read-write/

Healthy minds. WVU Medicine. (2022, September 28). https://wvumedicine.org/careers/healthy-minds/

Cleveland State University Home: Cleveland State University. Cleveland State University Home | Cleveland State University. (n.d.). https://www.csuohio.edu/

The Ohio State University. Home. (n.d.). https://www.osu.edu/

Case Western Reserve University. (n.d.). https://case.edu/

Xcel Energy. (n.d.). https://my.xcelenergy.com/s/state-selector?return=%2Fs%2F

Smart Smarter, M. (n.d.). Innovative Solutions through Information Technology, engineering and science. Leidos. https://www.leidos.com/

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