Hoping to attract digital nomads, some rural communities look to boost their image with a focus on branding

Some rural regions are trying to stand out by focusing on branding and marketing their assets, Caroline Tremblay reports for The Daily Yonder. The post-pandemic working culture has given many previously office-bound workers the ability to work from anywhere, and a reinvention of an overlooked place's image could make it an ideal landing spot for some.

A study by North Star Place Branding + Marketing "looked at American migration to small cities, finding that only 12% of respondents considered finding the right job their primary goal. Instead, 42% said their priority was finding a balance between the right job and place, while 46% placed the greatest importance on finding the right place to live," Tremblay reports.

Rural regions with aging populations and stagnant economies could get a boost from an influx of travelers. That's exactly what the Monadnock Region of southwest New Hampshire was hoping for when it contracted with North Star to help attract "young families, students, workers and tourists," the report stated. The branding company has already toured the region, met over 100 people and surveyed hundreds more and the new brand should debut this summer.

Minnesota is hoping to get a travel boost after the state government pushed money into a campaign to portray the state as the "Dream State." Leann Kispert, senior brand strategy manager for Explore Minnesota, a state organization looking to boost tourism, said focus groups identified "the ‘Dream State’ concept was the one that best captured the beauty of Minnesota and the magic of travel.” Data from Explore Minnesota's study of the rebranding has found “double-digit growth in our core metrics of favorability, consideration, and intent to travel within the next 12 months,” Kispert said.