Tampa Bay Shines: Promoting Reasons For Civic Pride

Frustrated that perceptions of the Tampa Bay community are not showing an accurate picture of the region, community leaders came together on September 23rd to announce a new community pride campaign: “Together Tampa Bay Shines.”

Resurrecting a campaign that the Tampa Bay Partnership initiated years ago, “Together Tampa Bay Shines” will become a broader community campaign where residents and visitors can participate to provide their own reasons as to why they think Tampa Bay shines.

“Whether it's specific to their individual community, an entertainment venue they like or an educational asset that they want to talk about, we're encouraging people to share something that they think has a really good 'shine factor',” says Betty Carlin, the Partnership's VP of marketing and communications. “There are a lot of good news stories out there that really need to come to the forefront to be able to build broader awareness within the community of the region's collective strengths.”

Starting off as a Facebook page, the campaign will grow into a website offering several ways for people to not only learn about Tampa Bay, but also share their thoughts and interact with other folks about the points of pride they think Tampa has to offer.

“A while back, some research studies were done showing that the perception within the region is not as positive as it is to those outside of the region,” says Carlin. “A lot of that is due to the fact that people aren't as aware of all of the great things that are going on in the area.”

Currently, the Partnership is trying to get as much support for the campaign as possible, engaging with a number of prominent groups within the area in an attempt to make “Together Tampa Bay Shines” a true community campaign; executives with Coca Cola Refreshments, IMG Academies and the Technology Conservation Group have provided examples of growth and expansion, reflecting on how Tampa Bay has been good for their business.

“We really want to build a sense of pride to show that not only is the area an attractive place for business, but a great place to live, work and play, as well,” says Carlin. “Hopefully, it's contagious and it carries over into all aspects.”

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Betty Carlin, Tampa Bay Partnership