category finalist
cecilia@bigcom.com
When you're trying to convince tech entrepreneurs that Alabama offers something different, you don't just tell them—you show up where they least expect it.
Innovate Alabama aimed to increase visibility and attract top innovators to Alabama, so we studied what mattered most to today’s top tech talent. Big Com's report on the Pioneer Mindset surveyed 300+ tech and intelligence professionals nationwide to find that today's innovators are looking for opportunities to break out of traditional tech hubs and into spaces where they can make an impact, be inspired and seek adventure. We took those discoveries and launched the SEEK campaign to showcase Alabama as a hub for creative thinkers.
The campaign lives across our interactive website, organic and paid social media and paid placements, but we knew to reach these innovators, we had to meet them where they already were with activations they couldn’t ignore.
Innovators across the U.S. regularly show up for SXSW in Austin, the Inc. 5000 Conference in Phoenix and the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City—so we did too.
The 2025 Inc. 5000 Conference in Phoenix, Arizona brought together the fastest-growing private companies in America. The 2025 Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City convened thousands of business leaders and makers, and the 2025 SXSW in Austin hosted thousands of attendees across interests.
All were a sea of founders, investors and innovators from coastal tech hubs and exactly the audience SEEK AL was built to reach. So we brought Alabama to them.
In Phoenix and New York City, the SEEK AL van transformed into a mobile basecamp, standing out against other booths with an unmistakably outdoor aesthetic. At the center of our installation was a VR experience that transported attendees directly into Alabama's landscapes—standing atop mountain overlooks, kayaking through coastal waterways, hiking forested trails. In Austin, attendees could check out the VR headset while speaking with tech enthusiasts and experts who had found their home in Alabama. Our goal was to create an environment, complete with an e-bike giveaway in Phoenix, that drew attendees in and sparked conversations about what life in Alabama actually looks like.
The activation embodied our core message: Alabama offers opportunity without lifestyle compromise. Instead of brochures about the state's business climate, we let entrepreneurs experience the vibe firsthand. The van, the bike, the imagery of trails and overlooks—it all signaled that this wasn't your typical economic development pitch. It was an invitation to a different kind of life.
At each activation, we generated hundreds of qualified leads and meaningful conversations with founders who'd never considered Alabama as a place to build. More importantly, we planted a seed: maybe the best place to grow a company is somewhere you can actually close your laptop and breathe.
