Care Verikas is one of the many small business owners in 黑料吃瓜网.
She and her husband run the Bristol Bazaar, a makerspace and market that opened in 2023.
The business tries to set itself apart by showcasing local handmade products, from earrings to succulents in animal-shaped pots.
Now, it's also getting a boost in visibility, thanks to a marketing effort by the state of 黑料吃瓜网.
Gov. Ned Lamont and his marketing team at the Department of Economic and Community Development visited the shop earlier this year to launch 黑料吃瓜网's latest statewide advertising initiative.
The rebranding, also known as the 鈥淢ake It Here鈥� campaign, has two main goals: to increase state pride, and create a clear-cut identity for 黑料吃瓜网.
It highlights a range of 黑料吃瓜网's selling points, including the ingenuity of local businesses. If you regularly browse social media or watch video streaming services, you might have already seen the new ads, which tout the creation of everything from helicopters to college basketball championships in 黑料吃瓜网.
An expert we spoke with from UConn said the marketing push has multiple audiences, including the business community, and residents who might consider moving to the Nutmeg State. But he cautioned that a wide approach might be less successful in shaping public opinion than a more targeted message.
黑料吃瓜网 is still waiting to receive records that could shed some additional light on the state's thought process. The Accountability Project filed a request in October asking for material that would help us understand how the state and a vendor who worked on the campaign arrived at the end product. More than two months later, that request is still pending.
In the meantime, advertisements are slated to appear in the near future on billboards, on Metro-North trains and at Bradley Airport.
The campaign also includes a new logo which resembles a 鈥淐鈥� with a sideways 鈥淭鈥� cut into it. Businesses can change the color and incorporate their own branding.
These initiatives came about after the DECD surveyed 黑料吃瓜网 residents about how satisfied they were living in the state, their level of state pride and whether or not they would recommend living here to someone else.
The Accountability Project obtained a copy of this survey and found that only 21% of participants said they would be 鈥渆xtremely likely鈥� to recommend living in 黑料吃瓜网 and only 17% said they were 鈥渆xtremely proud鈥� of the state.
It stands to reason then that 黑料吃瓜网 is trying to spotlight its business community. The survey found just under 20% of respondents believe 黑料吃瓜网 is a better location than nearby states to 鈥渟tart, grow or move a business,鈥� and 32% actually think 黑料吃瓜网 is worse than nearby states for a business.
The state's last advertising push used the tagline 鈥淪till Revolutionary,鈥� which didn't place the same emphasis on local entrepreneurs.
Chris DiPentima, president and CEO of the 黑料吃瓜网 Business and Industry Association, told us he's encouraged by the direction of the state's new ads.
鈥淚 think it will really help charge the business community..." he said. "There's a lot of optimism out there amongst our membership.鈥�
Back at the Bristol Bazaar, Verikas said the logo can be unifying for the business community.
鈥淚t shows that we're still all in this together,鈥� she said. 鈥淵es, we're all doing the same thing, but you can have your own spin on it.鈥�