Dorchester Co. Economic Development Recognized

For the second consecutive year, Dorchester County Economic Development has received honors for its marketing campaigns.

Dorchester County Economic Development received the Award of Merit from the Southern Economic Development Council for a technology-driven marketing campaign in the council’s annual Communication Awards competition. The awards were announced during the regional organization’s yearly conference that was held during Aug. 5-7 in Myrtle Beach.

"We strive each year to produce high-quality, marketing materials to promote Dorchester County," said Jon Baggett, Dorchester County Economic Development director. "With so many technological advances, it is important for us to continually evolve our marketing efforts to better compete in a global market. Receiving honors from SEDC two years in a row is a great accomplishment for us, and reaffirms that our team is on the right track."

The marketing campaign consisted of four, high-definition testimonial videos that centered on Dorchester County’s unique location. Funded by a grant from Santee Cooper, the project was first initiated to improve the visual interest of the Economic Development website, but then quickly advanced into a mobile marketing opportunity to reach developers and site selection consultants with "on-the-go" needs.

UniMedia was commissioned for the project. During an intense twodays of production, UniMedia was able to capture footage at ArborGen, Robert Bosch, Scout Boats, and Showa Denko Carbon. Each video is approximately three minutes in length and narrated by corporate-level executives that conveyed their unique experience of doing business in Dorchester County.

Watch the videos attached to this story.

With more than 20 categories available for acknowledgement, eligible nominations for this year’s competition reflected only those projects created during June 2011 and June 2012 that included entries foradvertisements, annual reports and audiovisual. As one of the oldest and largest economic development organization in the nation, SEDC has cultivated this competition as a means to promote excellence in and among economic development agencies throughout the southeast.

Submissions are judged by small, medium, and large divisions, and awarded either Best of Class, Superior, Excellent, or Merit. Placing again in the medium division, the 2012 competition marks a consecutive win for Dorchester County.

Since its inception over 65 years ago, SEDC has expanded to include members from 17 states in the American South with a distinct mission to provide useful information and dynamic leadership to economic development practitioners for the continued opportunity to “connect, develop, and grow.”

To learn more about economic development in Dorchester County, visit www.dorchesterforbusiness.com.