The Alabama Department of Commerce’s “Made in Alabama” brand is marking its 10^th anniversary, a significant milestone for a long-lasting state marketing campaign that helped propel a robust period of economic development.

Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield launched the “Made in Alabama” brand at a press event on the Capitol steps in Montgomery on March 19, 2013, uncovering a representation of the brand in the form of a shipping crate built by AIDT, Alabama’s workforce training agency.

That day, Canfield predicted that the campaign would help position Alabama as a powerhouse on a global level when it comes to economic development. The initiative set international business leaders and site consultants as primary targets.

Since 2013, Alabama’s economic development efforts have yielded more than $60 billion in new capital investment and almost 150,000 jobs in key industries — and “Made in Alabama” has been there every step of the way to tell the story.

“Companies from around the globe want to be part of the gold standard brand that is known as ‘Made in Alabama,’” Gov. Kay Ivey has said.

Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield, right, and his team at the “Made in Alabama” booth at the Farnborough International Airshow. The brand has built an international profile during its 10 years. (Made in Alabama)

Sharing successes

The branding and marketing initiative resulted from a set of recommendations included in Accelerate Alabama, the state’s comprehensive strategic economic development plan adopted in 2012.

The centerpiece of the marketing initiative remains the MadeInAlabama.com website, which features shareable news content focusing on Alabama’s economic development successes and the advantages that make the state an attractive location for investment. Alabama News Center is among the media channels that share content from the site.

“When we looked at cost-effective ways to tell the whole story of what is happening here in Alabama as well as the incredible potential for continued growth, there was no question that this online news platform should be the foundation for our marketing efforts,” Canfield said.

“Alabama is at the cutting edge when it comes to high-tech industrial manufacturing and groundbreaking medical research, and we needed to deliver a marketing program just as sophisticated,” he said.

Back in 2013, the website tapped into an emerging global marketing trend in which brands were becoming online publishers in order to boost awareness and increase engagement with their customers through shareable content.

The “Made in Alabama” brand and website was designed and developed by Alabama-based public relations and advertising agency Big Communications, working in concert with Canfield and his team at the Department of Commerce.

This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.