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The Value of Being Here

The new Brand Cincy Hub helps regional companies recruit talent with one voice.

by Carrie Blackmore

What makes Cincinnati tick? What’s our brand? “It’s not a slogan or a logo or an arch or a statue or a river,” says Anastasia Mileham. “A brand is DNA. It’s what’s inside. It’s what endures after a statue is removed or an arch is torn down.”

As executive director of Cincinnati Experience (CX), Mileham’s job has been to communicate that feeling—the essence of Cincinnati—to the rest of the world. Figuring out the right messaging took years of focus groups, surveys, perception studies, and contributions from inside and outside the region, along with support and input from many regional partners.

Boiled down, Mileham says, the message is this: Cincinnati has heart, it has hustle, and it’s a desirable home. And now there is a free business-to-business toolbox, the Brand Cincy Hub, available to anyone wanting to convey that message.

“The factors that drive businesses, talent, and visitors to choose a city are increasingly aligned, and the marketing and branding should align too,” says Mileham. “Cities should be more closely coordinating their economic development and tourism branding and promotion, which is exactly what Brand Cincy aims to do.”

Anyone wanting to use the hub can create a log-in to gain access to marketing and recruitment materials such as fact sheets, videos, photos, and social media guidance as well as downloadable materials like talent attraction brochures and retractable banners for job fairs and campus visits. There are downloadable visitor’s guides and itineraries to show recruits around the region. All assets can be incorporated directly into an organization’s or company’s own visuals and branding.

Bobbi Dillon (left) and Anastasia Mileham

Procter & Gamble is a founding member of Cincinnati Experience and uses the hub, says Bobbi Dillon, senior manager of state government relations. “We understand how to engage potential recruits on the value of being a P&G employee, and Brand Cincy provides us the tools to also capture the value of being in the Cincinnati community,” she says. “It allows us to address both the work and life components that so many are looking for today.”

Brand Cincy materials include handy QR codes that allow recruits to access digital resources on topics like Cincinnati’s arts and culture, food and drink, festivals and events, neighborhoods, and more, says Dillon. CX’s social media presence enhances the experience for job recruits, creating a special connection to Cincinnati and P&G.

Hub materials feature the entire region, Mileham says, including neighborhood fact sheets and links to videos about living all over, from Cincinnati’s many city neighborhoods to the northern Ohio suburbs and across state lines in Indiana or Kentucky. CX is currently working on adding materials aimed at executive level recruitment and attracting international companies.

“We’ve got so much going on in Cincinnati, whether you’re a sports fan or you’re into arts and culture or outdoors life with the rivers and the biking trails,” says Mileham. “On the business side, the diversity and industry that exists in our region is what’s helped us thrive over the years.”

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