ORGANIZATION / PROGRAM
OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW
Live Work Philadelphia is a resident attraction marketing program aimed at growing and diversifiying the middle-income population in the City of Philadelphia as a means to help raise socioeconomic diversity. The program is designed to harness the attraction of middle-income earners to the city for holistic economic growth that can enable greater stability, vibrancy and resiliency throughout communities in Philadelphia.
Via targeted branding, messaging, and ad campaigns, the marketing program directs and engages visitors to its digital platforms where visitors can explore the wide range of career and life opportunities in the City of Philadelphia.
Some cities are fortunate. They experience a natural influx of people often because of the influence and power of their individual city's brand. Industry and job concentrations, a city's social vibrancy, the individual composition of diverse communities, and the cost of living contribute greatly to a city's brand. Though Philadelphia is one of America's largest cities, it has been less fortunate in terms of new residents, the arrival of diverse and ethnic groups that better reflect domestic demographic trends, and enough people to offset decades of population losses that saw a significant portion of its middle-income population exit the city over decades.
Cities that have been more fortunate in welcoming a greater number of new residents, have done so generally with greater pace, diversity, higher educational attainment and income levels compared to Philadelphia. The benefits for those more fortunate cities is increased tax revenue for schools and resident services, talent for local employers, small businesses, neighborhood revitalization, and resident retention.
Philly's reasonable cost of living compared to peer cities on the east coast should elevate the city's standing as a desirable place to work and live, yet the city struggles to attract people, and particularly, with diverse middle-income people, primarily due to a lack of significant brand awareness.
Attraction programs have served the city well in the past when Philly's brand was not well understood and lacked connection with certain individual groups or specific demographic segments of the U.S. population; consider Visit Philadelphia and Campus Philly. The latter not only helps to retain those who study at colleges and universities in Philadelphia, it also helps to attract and connect talent to local employers. Visit Philadelphia's efforts not only attract tourists to the city, the hospitality industry is now a major economic driver for the city.
Live Work Philadelphia has received the support and endorsement from City Council, the Office of the Mayor, Econsult and other city stakeholder and economic development organizations. Live Work Philadelphia is now partnered with Drexel University specifically via its Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.
Via targeted branding, messaging, and ad campaigns, the marketing program directs and engages visitors to its digital platforms where visitors can explore the wide range of career and life opportunities in the City of Philadelphia.
Some cities are fortunate. They experience a natural influx of people often because of the influence and power of their individual city's brand. Industry and job concentrations, a city's social vibrancy, the individual composition of diverse communities, and the cost of living contribute greatly to a city's brand. Though Philadelphia is one of America's largest cities, it has been less fortunate in terms of new residents, the arrival of diverse and ethnic groups that better reflect domestic demographic trends, and enough people to offset decades of population losses that saw a significant portion of its middle-income population exit the city over decades.
Cities that have been more fortunate in welcoming a greater number of new residents, have done so generally with greater pace, diversity, higher educational attainment and income levels compared to Philadelphia. The benefits for those more fortunate cities is increased tax revenue for schools and resident services, talent for local employers, small businesses, neighborhood revitalization, and resident retention.
Philly's reasonable cost of living compared to peer cities on the east coast should elevate the city's standing as a desirable place to work and live, yet the city struggles to attract people, and particularly, with diverse middle-income people, primarily due to a lack of significant brand awareness.
Attraction programs have served the city well in the past when Philly's brand was not well understood and lacked connection with certain individual groups or specific demographic segments of the U.S. population; consider Visit Philadelphia and Campus Philly. The latter not only helps to retain those who study at colleges and universities in Philadelphia, it also helps to attract and connect talent to local employers. Visit Philadelphia's efforts not only attract tourists to the city, the hospitality industry is now a major economic driver for the city.
Live Work Philadelphia has received the support and endorsement from City Council, the Office of the Mayor, Econsult and other city stakeholder and economic development organizations. Live Work Philadelphia is now partnered with Drexel University specifically via its Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.
Need & Purpose of Organization
At the start of the 1970s, middle-income residents comprised 59 percent of Philadelphia's population of almost two million people. By 2010, with around 400,000 fewer residents, only 42 percent of the city's people qualified as middle-income. This substantial change in the city's population and its resident makeup has and continues to be a major cause for the city's notable demographic imbalance that also has a detrimental impact on the socioeconomic diversity of the city. Today, almost 1 in 4 residents lives in poverty, and among the top 30 US-populated cities, Philadelphia is ranked near the bottom for annual median household income.
The city's limited growth and prolonged demographic imbalance also challenges its labor and workforce environment. Local employers frequently voice a skills and demographic mismatch between supply and demand. In the 2022 Economic Outlook Report issued by the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, employers point to labor availability or lack of quality candidates as their biggest problem.
Initiatives by elected officials, city stakeholders and local nonprofit organizations are underway to address the key challenges affecting our city and its residents as well as programs to create a more equitable and inclusive workforce environment that can provide residents greater access to social and economic mobility but, additional strategies, especially in the short-to-midterm, are needed to address the state of our workforce, the needs of residents and the communities in which they live.
No longer simply an instrument or a tool for population growth alone, U.S. cities now use resident attraction strategies to supplement, reinforce and bring about greater synergy to all of the initiatives that are designed to improve the lives of residents and their city’s evolving demographics.
While Philadelphia has worked to address the many aspects that contribute to its demographic imbalance, many mid-to-large sized US cities saw population expansion as well as a notable increase in diversity over the last number of decades. This was due in large part to immigrants, and the relocation of 1st and 2nd generation families spreading out to new cities across the country. Philadelphia's story has been quite different. In the latter half of the 20th century, according to a 2023 Pew Report, Philadelphia was considered by scholars as a "low-immigration city". The immigration dynamic for Philadelphia has improved notably since the early 2000s according to local organizations, officials and reports but overall, Philadelphia's growth does not parallel peer cities in sheer numbers, demographic characteristics, and particularly, in the influx of 1st and 2nd generation families.
For instance, over the last decade, 10 million Latinos were added to the U.S. population. Hispanics now number over 62 million people and account for 19% of the US population, yet Philadelphia's Latino population is relatively small when compared to America's largest cities and those located on the east coast. Furthermore, unlike every other top 10 city in America where its largest Latino subgroup is fueled by immigrants from a combination of various Latin American countries, Philadelphia's largest Latino subgroup is that of Puerto Ricans who are natural-born American citizens.
The chart below highlights how Philadelphia currently fares with the Latino segment when compared with other major American cities.
The city's limited growth and prolonged demographic imbalance also challenges its labor and workforce environment. Local employers frequently voice a skills and demographic mismatch between supply and demand. In the 2022 Economic Outlook Report issued by the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, employers point to labor availability or lack of quality candidates as their biggest problem.
Initiatives by elected officials, city stakeholders and local nonprofit organizations are underway to address the key challenges affecting our city and its residents as well as programs to create a more equitable and inclusive workforce environment that can provide residents greater access to social and economic mobility but, additional strategies, especially in the short-to-midterm, are needed to address the state of our workforce, the needs of residents and the communities in which they live.
No longer simply an instrument or a tool for population growth alone, U.S. cities now use resident attraction strategies to supplement, reinforce and bring about greater synergy to all of the initiatives that are designed to improve the lives of residents and their city’s evolving demographics.
While Philadelphia has worked to address the many aspects that contribute to its demographic imbalance, many mid-to-large sized US cities saw population expansion as well as a notable increase in diversity over the last number of decades. This was due in large part to immigrants, and the relocation of 1st and 2nd generation families spreading out to new cities across the country. Philadelphia's story has been quite different. In the latter half of the 20th century, according to a 2023 Pew Report, Philadelphia was considered by scholars as a "low-immigration city". The immigration dynamic for Philadelphia has improved notably since the early 2000s according to local organizations, officials and reports but overall, Philadelphia's growth does not parallel peer cities in sheer numbers, demographic characteristics, and particularly, in the influx of 1st and 2nd generation families.
For instance, over the last decade, 10 million Latinos were added to the U.S. population. Hispanics now number over 62 million people and account for 19% of the US population, yet Philadelphia's Latino population is relatively small when compared to America's largest cities and those located on the east coast. Furthermore, unlike every other top 10 city in America where its largest Latino subgroup is fueled by immigrants from a combination of various Latin American countries, Philadelphia's largest Latino subgroup is that of Puerto Ricans who are natural-born American citizens.
The chart below highlights how Philadelphia currently fares with the Latino segment when compared with other major American cities.
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LARGEST U.S. CITIES
by Population 1 - New York 2 - Los Angeles 3 - Chicago 4 - Houston 5 - Phoenix 6 - Philadelphia 7 - San Antonio 8 - San Diego 9 - Dallas 10 - Austin |
POPULATION
Overall 8,804,190 3,898,747 2,746,388 2,316,120 1,680,992 1,584,064 1,547,253 1,423,851 1,343,266 974,447 |
POPULATION
Hispanic 2,417,676 1,910,196 776,290 1,044,120 725,394 241,425 998,698 431,477 553,420 311,823 |
% OF POPULATION
Hispanics 27% 48% 28% 45% 43% 16% 65% 30% 41% 31% |
POVERTY RATE
Hispanic 25% 16% 22% 19% 31% 30% 22% 22% 21% 14% |
Souce: US Census, Pew Hispanic
The decision to move to another city is generally driven by economics and career opportunities but highly influenced by a city's brand composed by its social, cultural, and lifestyle assets relevant to individual groups and communities. Philadelphia's diverse communities and residents make significant contributions to the city, but their demographic composition has generally been comprised of those with less economic means than US data and trends and they are significantly less diverse across the range of countries of origin. This is most apparent in our Asian American and Latino communities, where generally one country of origin dominates their respective populations.
The identity or brand of a city increasingly determines where talent, people and families flow. Many people are now looking to leave high cost cities and embrace alternate locales. Philadelphia can be one of these places, especially when contrasted to other large east coast cities but, Philly is simply a city absent of a brand that reflects and appeals to diverse segments of the US population. Philly's historic significance, as well as its vast big city amenities, are just a few notable elements that are generally not well understood or highly familiar to diverse populations outside of the region. This, combined with an affinity that diverse populations can have with US cities with which they identify both culturally and socially, can limit the visibility and consideration of Philadelphia with many individual diverse groups.
The city’s poverty rate for diverse communities is 30% for Hispanics, 27% for African Americans, and 23% for Asian Americans. The size, economic state, and limited level of diversity within our diverse communities often results in those communities having less social and cultural resources and consumer options as businesses, projects and greater investment fail to launch due to a lack of capital, potential customers, and confidence.
The city's demographic imbalance can also contribute to social and economic dynamics that often go unnoticed. Below is one example of many. Continuing with the Latino theme, here you see a recent tour schedule for two of the Latin music world’s top music artists who are Puerto Rican. The largest Latino subgroup in the city is Puerto Rican and yet, the artists pictured were not scheduled to perform in Philadelphia, and in fact, haven’t performed in Philly for years.
The identity or brand of a city increasingly determines where talent, people and families flow. Many people are now looking to leave high cost cities and embrace alternate locales. Philadelphia can be one of these places, especially when contrasted to other large east coast cities but, Philly is simply a city absent of a brand that reflects and appeals to diverse segments of the US population. Philly's historic significance, as well as its vast big city amenities, are just a few notable elements that are generally not well understood or highly familiar to diverse populations outside of the region. This, combined with an affinity that diverse populations can have with US cities with which they identify both culturally and socially, can limit the visibility and consideration of Philadelphia with many individual diverse groups.
The city’s poverty rate for diverse communities is 30% for Hispanics, 27% for African Americans, and 23% for Asian Americans. The size, economic state, and limited level of diversity within our diverse communities often results in those communities having less social and cultural resources and consumer options as businesses, projects and greater investment fail to launch due to a lack of capital, potential customers, and confidence.
The city's demographic imbalance can also contribute to social and economic dynamics that often go unnoticed. Below is one example of many. Continuing with the Latino theme, here you see a recent tour schedule for two of the Latin music world’s top music artists who are Puerto Rican. The largest Latino subgroup in the city is Puerto Rican and yet, the artists pictured were not scheduled to perform in Philadelphia, and in fact, haven’t performed in Philly for years.
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Most major U.S. concert venues can average more Latino concerts in a month than Philly does all year. Missed opportunities like this harms the city's economy and weakens the city's brand.
Methods & Strategies
Resident attraction strategies can vary widely in their approach from city to city often to address specific needs designed to bring about not only growth but greater demographic balance and diversity. Some are broad in nature like Live Baltimore who seek to attract professionals to its many neighborhoods as a way to combat years of negative national press. Others are focused on very specific population segments like Tulsa Tomorrow that look to grow its Jewish population by promoting Tulsa to young Jewish professionals. Some programs even provide financial incentives such as reimbursement of relocation expenses or one-time incentive payments for those who agree to live in a new city for a specific number of years.
Live Work Philadelphia is focused on attracting specific segments of the U.S. population the city needs and lacks, and that the city has always struggled to attract organically.
As a resident attraction marketing program, the priority is to create an online presence for the city notably with a website and the use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies that improves a website’s visibility when people search online for items or opportunites related to what the website offers. SEO strategies are monitored continuously and adjustments are made based on performance and outcomes. This digital practice also allows for a city’s brand to be present at critical moments by those searching online for evidence that cities under consideration align with their aspirations for the quality of life they seek and for their careers and their lifestyles.
Via the website, visitors can explore the full range of amenities the city offers and connect them with employers via easy to use “next steps” to explore opportunities that local companies have available. The website will also provide information for housing, employment, education, neighborhood and civic and professional organizations. Quick visits and overnight stays with local tourism partners will be encouraged and promoted to foster greater familiarity with the city, the local job market, and communities and neighborhoods.
In addition, Live Work Philadelphia will integrate targeted advertising campaigns via social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn to specific demographic profiles. The program will deploy social media messaging and ad campaigns to drive targets to the website highlighting Philadelphia as an urban wonderland, and spotlight communities and cultural amenities that individuals are most likely interested in and aligned with. The profiles vary from campaign to campaign and are adjusted based on the performance and outcomes of those campaigns. Characteristics in the profiles can be edited and added based on goals aligned with bringing about greater demographic balance for the city.
The planning and execution of messaging, branding and ad campaigns is to be collaborative with independent marketing contractors and agencies within the digital marketing space and will include roles such as project management, branding, SEO strategy and advertising.
Live Work Philadelphia is focused on attracting specific segments of the U.S. population the city needs and lacks, and that the city has always struggled to attract organically.
As a resident attraction marketing program, the priority is to create an online presence for the city notably with a website and the use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies that improves a website’s visibility when people search online for items or opportunites related to what the website offers. SEO strategies are monitored continuously and adjustments are made based on performance and outcomes. This digital practice also allows for a city’s brand to be present at critical moments by those searching online for evidence that cities under consideration align with their aspirations for the quality of life they seek and for their careers and their lifestyles.
Via the website, visitors can explore the full range of amenities the city offers and connect them with employers via easy to use “next steps” to explore opportunities that local companies have available. The website will also provide information for housing, employment, education, neighborhood and civic and professional organizations. Quick visits and overnight stays with local tourism partners will be encouraged and promoted to foster greater familiarity with the city, the local job market, and communities and neighborhoods.
In addition, Live Work Philadelphia will integrate targeted advertising campaigns via social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn to specific demographic profiles. The program will deploy social media messaging and ad campaigns to drive targets to the website highlighting Philadelphia as an urban wonderland, and spotlight communities and cultural amenities that individuals are most likely interested in and aligned with. The profiles vary from campaign to campaign and are adjusted based on the performance and outcomes of those campaigns. Characteristics in the profiles can be edited and added based on goals aligned with bringing about greater demographic balance for the city.
The planning and execution of messaging, branding and ad campaigns is to be collaborative with independent marketing contractors and agencies within the digital marketing space and will include roles such as project management, branding, SEO strategy and advertising.
Campaign Profiles & Targets
Only a small fraction of today's movers, according to Richard Florida, a major American Urban Studies theorist on social and economic theory and professor, claim a "new job or job transfer" as their primary motivation for relocating. Housing is the most common cause for people to relocate in the United States. According to the census, this is the reason for 51% of all persons who relocate. They are renters who wish to own and young couples that want to upgrade.
Philadelphia's low cost of living compared to high-priced locations like Boston, New York, and Washington, DC, will be highlighted across the program's digital channels. This component has been identified by the program as Philadelphia's strongest competitive advantage in order to attract young professionals and families; those who are the foundation for the program's audience targets.
The program we’ll prioritize diverse middle-income Millennials (primary) and GenZ (secondary) who posses a bachelor’s degree, an associates degree or those without a degree but with skill sets aligned with local employers.
Cities across America have embraced Millennials and GenZ populations as critical segments for their cities to grow, replenish the loss of residents, inject talent for local employers, remain economically competitive and socially vibrant, and to strengthen the brand of their cities for decades to come.
Millennials (born 1981-1996) and GenZ (born 1997-2012) are segments of the U.S. population that are regularly surveyed. Colleges and universities, retailers, the entertainment industry, food makers and more want to know what makes them tick and what they want out of every interaction and transaction. They are quick to provide clear expectations for any purchase and investment, and these generations grew up with the internet in the palm of their hands and are quick to research any idea and opportunity.
Housing market data group Meyers Research found that 60 percent of Millennials have seriously considered moving out of their current city and most seek out big city or urban living for a new city. These generations cherish living in cities, where they can maximize economic, professional, and social opportunities and when considering a new locale to call home, they express a variety and combination of "must-have" characteristics and amenities that consistently appear in surveys and research. It's important however to point out, when making a relocation decision, "affordability reigns supreme" for these groups according to Livability.com.
Millennials and GenZ site the following characteristics and amenities for any city before they engage in any serious consideration and relocation planning.
Philadelphia not only has these characteristics, assets and amenities, Philadelphia excels at them, but as previously stated, new generations and expecially diverse populations lack familiarity with the City of Brotherly Love, hence the need for strategies to attract new residents.
Messaging and ad campaigns deployed by Live Work Philadelphia will be directed primarily within the northeast U.S. corridor that includes cities and metropolitan areas like Boston, New York City, northern New Jersey and Washington DC, but place greater focus and prioritization on the New York City metro. This area has a large a number of the program's identified targets, and more people leave the NYC metro than anywhere because of the cost of living.
As an example, messaging and ad campaigns may target the following individual type:
In this example, one earning this salary and living in the NYC metro area may very well be one who lives check-to-check due to a high cost of living. A campaign can bring awareness to those within this profile that considering a move to Philadelphia can be a powerfully beneficial career and financial decision; one that allows for more money in your pocket to pay off student loans, purchase a home or to invest. The benefit of visiting family and friends is also a great feature as Philly is only 90 minutes away from the NYC metro.
Philadelphia's low cost of living compared to high-priced locations like Boston, New York, and Washington, DC, will be highlighted across the program's digital channels. This component has been identified by the program as Philadelphia's strongest competitive advantage in order to attract young professionals and families; those who are the foundation for the program's audience targets.
The program we’ll prioritize diverse middle-income Millennials (primary) and GenZ (secondary) who posses a bachelor’s degree, an associates degree or those without a degree but with skill sets aligned with local employers.
Cities across America have embraced Millennials and GenZ populations as critical segments for their cities to grow, replenish the loss of residents, inject talent for local employers, remain economically competitive and socially vibrant, and to strengthen the brand of their cities for decades to come.
Millennials (born 1981-1996) and GenZ (born 1997-2012) are segments of the U.S. population that are regularly surveyed. Colleges and universities, retailers, the entertainment industry, food makers and more want to know what makes them tick and what they want out of every interaction and transaction. They are quick to provide clear expectations for any purchase and investment, and these generations grew up with the internet in the palm of their hands and are quick to research any idea and opportunity.
Housing market data group Meyers Research found that 60 percent of Millennials have seriously considered moving out of their current city and most seek out big city or urban living for a new city. These generations cherish living in cities, where they can maximize economic, professional, and social opportunities and when considering a new locale to call home, they express a variety and combination of "must-have" characteristics and amenities that consistently appear in surveys and research. It's important however to point out, when making a relocation decision, "affordability reigns supreme" for these groups according to Livability.com.
Millennials and GenZ site the following characteristics and amenities for any city before they engage in any serious consideration and relocation planning.
- Affordable Home Prices
- Apartment Living for a Sense of Community
- Big-City Amenities
- Arts, Entertainment & Culture
- Large Food & Restaurant Scene
- Diverse & Inclusive Cities Where Everyone Counts
- Employment opportunities and Competitive Salaries
- Parks and Green Spaces
- Accessibility of Public Transporation
- Entrepreneurial opportunities
Philadelphia not only has these characteristics, assets and amenities, Philadelphia excels at them, but as previously stated, new generations and expecially diverse populations lack familiarity with the City of Brotherly Love, hence the need for strategies to attract new residents.
Messaging and ad campaigns deployed by Live Work Philadelphia will be directed primarily within the northeast U.S. corridor that includes cities and metropolitan areas like Boston, New York City, northern New Jersey and Washington DC, but place greater focus and prioritization on the New York City metro. This area has a large a number of the program's identified targets, and more people leave the NYC metro than anywhere because of the cost of living.
As an example, messaging and ad campaigns may target the following individual type:
- A female and U.S. citizen
- One with an Asian background
- Bilingual
- Living in Queens (NYC)
- One with a bachelor's degree or higher
- One within the ages of 25-34
- Earning a salary of $65,000-$95,000
- One who is a self described “urban enthusiast or urban dweller”
In this example, one earning this salary and living in the NYC metro area may very well be one who lives check-to-check due to a high cost of living. A campaign can bring awareness to those within this profile that considering a move to Philadelphia can be a powerfully beneficial career and financial decision; one that allows for more money in your pocket to pay off student loans, purchase a home or to invest. The benefit of visiting family and friends is also a great feature as Philly is only 90 minutes away from the NYC metro.
Evaluation
The work of Live Work Philadelphia and its operations are primarily housed within a digital and online space allowing for easy and timely measurement and evaluation of key performance indicators including the level of connection to partners and collaborators that the mission is intended to benefit like the City of Philadelphia and local employers among others.
Live Work Philadelphia will track and report on its performance and outcomes using fundamental industry measures designed to assess the efficiency of individual campaigns as well as the overall efforts required to build and connect one’s brand with advertising targets.
For year 1, measuring the success of Live Work Philadelphia’s campaigns can include among other key performance indicators (KPI's):
For year 2, measuring the success of Live Work Philadelphia’s campaigns can include among other key performance indicators (KPI's):
Additional data collection measures, user surveys, and independent research initiatives will be implemented to better understand the impact of our work, as well as the necessary adjustments and tactics to meet our objectives and goals and better present our findings to the public.
Live Work Philadelphia will track and report on its performance and outcomes using fundamental industry measures designed to assess the efficiency of individual campaigns as well as the overall efforts required to build and connect one’s brand with advertising targets.
For year 1, measuring the success of Live Work Philadelphia’s campaigns can include among other key performance indicators (KPI's):
- Amount of Visitors to Website via SEO
- Amount of Visitors to website via ad campaigns
- Amount of Advertising Impressions and People Reached
- Amount of Visitors to Individual Web pages (i.e housing, employment)
- Amount of Visitors to Spotlighted Employers
- Amount of Connections to Employers
- Amount of Hotel Stays to visit the city to consider new employer
- Number of New Residents via Tax Registrations/Filers
For year 2, measuring the success of Live Work Philadelphia’s campaigns can include among other key performance indicators (KPI's):
- Number of New Positions and Conversions for employers via website
- Number of New Residents via Tax Registrations/Filers
- Amount of Leads/Conversion to Real Estate Brokers/Agents
- Amount Leads/Conversions to Apartment Management Companies
- Amount Generated in new city tax revenue for the city
- Number of new residents identified as middle income
Additional data collection measures, user surveys, and independent research initiatives will be implemented to better understand the impact of our work, as well as the necessary adjustments and tactics to meet our objectives and goals and better present our findings to the public.