In today’s rapid-fire communications world, every second matters. That’s why Wake Forest economic development leaders are excited about the launch of a dynamic new animation that highlights the Town’s vast inventory of assets, amenities, and advantages – all in just two minutes.
“We’ve worked hard to develop an engaging series of images and infographics that come together in a concise narrative showcasing where our community stands in 2023,” says Jason Cannon, President of the Wake Forest Business and Industry Partnership (WFBIP). Cannon and WFBIP launched this new marketing tool, which is accessible via the organization’s homepage, on August 3. “We can engage business leaders, location advisors, journalists, and anyone else interested in learning about our community on an anytime, anywhere basis,” Cannon says. “Tools like these are becoming must-haves in today’s site selection world, and Wake Forest is keeping itself ahead of the wave.”
WFBIP partnered with Wake Forest-based Roseland Pictures to create the compelling new animation – which includes graphics, mapping imagery, and text depicting the Town’s rapid population growth, high level of education attainment, surging incomes, transportation systems, proximity to research universities, and much more. Roseland Pictures works with local and national clients on feature films, corporate communications, video narratives, and documentaries. Since its founding in 2022, the husband-and-wife team of John Sammon and Nancy Saade have taken Roseland’s film work to locations in California, Colorado, and Texas. “We’re very fortunate to have John and Nancy right here in our backyard,” Cannon says. “Their talents, combined with their knowledge of and passion for the Town of Wake Forest, had a lot to do with creating a product that conveyed our brand so compellingly.”
Spencer Warren, Economic Development Manager at WFBIP, says video content is now a key part of a website’s user experience. “Given the information overload that most businesspeople encounter today, animations are an ideal way to convey text, stats, graphs, and images in a format that is easy to absorb and understand,” Warren explains. Given the long list of factors that make Wake Forest a winning business destination, WFBIP’s challenge was to create a concise, memorable overview that is more engaging than simple text. “Whether you’re a consultant working with a large corporation, an entrepreneur exploring new markets, or a retail chain considering your next location, there is value in spending two minutes with this video,” Warren says.
Industry research supports efforts to embed video into website content. Online videos now comprise more than 82 percent of all consumer Internet traffic — 15 times more than it was just five years ago, according to research by Cisco Systems. Insivia, a Cleveland, Ohio-based digital marketing agency, estimates that viewers retain 95 percent of a message while watching it on a video, compared to just 10 percent when reading it in text.
“Site selectors are busy people, but they’re also data-driven people,” Cannon says. “ This video brings a good balance between value-added insight and efficient use of their limited time.”
Cannon and Warren expect the video will be widely viewed. Since January 1 of this year, the WFBIP website has attracted more than 21,000 visits.
