Neighbor well, Idaho
The Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry (IACI) shapes economic growth policy in Idaho. But racism and a wayward legislator were making it harder for the state’s employers to recruit much needed talent. As different industries in Idaho demanded skilled labor–specifically in the tech industry–many potential recruits cited Idaho’s whiteness and racism as reasons why they didn’t come to Idaho.
So, IACI asked DW to help them change perceptions about BIPOC communities in the state.
At first glance, the brief seemed impossible: solve racism. But we knew that targeting influential members of rural communities was key. As we dug deeper into our audience research, we saw how important women were in informing the family unit. We also saw a willingness to have conversations around racism if we didn’t use words like “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion.” Rather, there was a willingness to have conversations around “respect” and “community.”
Equipped with these insights, our team developed the “Neighbor Well” campaign, a starting point for Idahoans to welcome neighbors from all walks of life into their community. We rolled out the integrated campaign with a short film that helped educate our audience on the isolating effects of microaggressions and the power of being a good neighbor. It was supported by a full suite of digital, social, radio and TV, all of which led to a landing page where people could learn more about starting positive conversations and neighborly outreach.
