Rock Hill considers marketing its proximity to Charlotte

Should Rock Hill brand itself as the “high tech hub” of the Charlotte region?

The Rock Hill Economic Development Corp. is evaluating that approach after the idea was loudly endorsed at the group’s recent annual planning retreat. But the idea has been questioned in a recent string of emails.

“Yes!” said David Stringer, president of the Insignia Group of Rock Hill, when the RHEDC asked its members of the idea at the retreat.

“It’s a tangible tug of war between the classic, tried-and-true, dirt-and-brick marketing and then there’s the Knowledge Park, the knowledge economy,” Stringer said. “It’s not dirt, marketing buildings. It’s marketing human capital.”

York County Councilman Chad Williams, initially skeptical of the idea, added his strong support at the retreat: “Yes! Let’s show Rock Hill is the technology center of Charlotte. The Knowledge Park is perfect. Let’s sell what they are looking for.”

Yes, said Ed Duffy, an retired educator from York Technical College. “It’s an opportunity for us to tell Charlotte who we are. The river has been a divide.”

In an email that sparked an online discussion, Jason Broadwater of RevenFlo said, “Although I love the boldness, I feel that, as a claim, it rings inauthentic to say we are the tech highway to Charlotte.

“While we do need to embrace our symbiotic and advantageous situation in our relationship to Charlotte, I don’t think we have Charlotte in our name.

“What if it was something more like: Border Town, Innovation City.”

Broadwater wrote that the border town concept would allow Rock Hill to “emphasize we are uniquely the best of both worlds.”

The focus on innovation versus technology would allow Rock Hill to “embrace industries that don’t look like tech.”

Brian Crenshaw, chairman of the RHEDC’s marketing committee, said his group will consider all input resulting from the presentation when it meets in December.

But, Crenshaw said, “we can’t deny our proximity, we can’t deny who we are.”

Using Charlotte in a branding pitch may depend on who the pitch is targeted to. Research showed the people on the regional and national level don’t know where Rock Hill is, Crenshaw said.

The challenge now falls to Atlas Advertising of Denver, Colo, the firm the city hired to develop a marketing strategy. The firm specializes in economic development, tourism and real estate marketing.

Guillermo Mazier, vice president, strategic accounts, presented Atlas’ initial findings during the recent retreat.

For many business leaders at the City Club, Mazier’s 45-minute presentation told them what they already knew about Rock Hill. RHEDC officials said while the presentation covered familiar information, it validated that Rock Hill is doing the right things.

Atlas’ proposed branding campaign calls for marketing Rock Hill as the best stop on Charlotte’s technology highway.

Connecting Rock Hill to Charlotte in branding campaigns has been done before. A 1990 campaign featured a visual of Winthrop’s Tillman Hall in the foreground with the Bank of America Corporate Center in the background. “It was very effective,” said Rock Hill attorney James Hardin in an email. “ A variation of that with all the other good ideas presented would be a great step forward.”

In interviews with community leaders, Atlas found a familiar theme: our greatest asset is being near Charlotte, our greatest threat is being near Charlotte. There has been a longstanding view among some to keep Rock Hill’s image separate and distinct.

Jeff Rehling, a marketing professor at the University of South Carolina, said the risk of confusion – of being seen as an extension of Charlotte – is possibly the biggest “con” in the proposed marketing strategy.

“But done right the pros outweigh the cons,” he said.

The “pros” are points of differences that separate Rock Hill from other communities.

Rehling said Rock Hill’s points of differences are a location, proximity to Charlotte, technology, and advanced manufacturing.

The connection of Rock Hill to Charlotte “says location matters. Don’t shy away from it,” Rehling said.

He said a successful strategy will focus on three or for bullet-like points that differentiate Rock Hill.

“Those that try to be all things to all people, the result is they mean nothing to nobody,” Rehling said. “The result is you won’t stand for anything.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Rock Hill considers marketing its proximity to Charlotte."