Making it in Middlesex
Purpose of Project: “Making it in Middlesex: Stories of Business Success” aims to spotlight and celebrate local businesses within Middlesex County that demonstrate resilience, innovation, and economic impact. The project has shifted from long-form business profiles to a dynamic video series featuring four diverse businesses. Each video is complemented by an interview-style write-up, providing deeper insights into the challenges, strategies, and successes of these local businesses.
Effectiveness / Meeting Objectives: The video series captures the essence of business success stories across Middlesex County. By highlighting a curated selection of businesses across our four key sectors (Agri-Business, Manufacturing, Tourism and Small Business), the project fosters community pride, encourages entrepreneurship, and highlights the county as a thriving hub for economic growth. Each video has garnered an extensive reach in both paid and organic media, gaining 30-40,000 views for organically produced content, and 20-30,000 views for paid advertisements. Viewers have expressed a heightened appreciation for their contributions to the local economy. The project has proven to be successful for both viewers and businesses interviewed, with interviewee Willow and Water citing multiple bookings based on their spotlight video.
Challenges & Changes Made: Transitioning to shorter, more focused video formats presented logistical and creative challenges in capturing the totality of the business’ achievements and the role Middlesex County plays in their success. However, we successfully adapted our approach to deliver compelling narratives that resonate with audiences.
Target Audience: The project targets consumers, prospective entrepreneurs, investors, and stakeholders interested in Middlesex County’s economic vitality. By displaying diverse businesses across our key sectors and municipalities, from startups to established businesses, the series appeals to a broad demographic, inspiring pride, and confidence in local business ecosystems. Each story aims to educate, inspire, and connect with audiences invested in the county’s economic development and entrepreneurial spirit. Another aspect of the program is that it acts as a piece of business retention and appreciation, communicating to businesses that we are grateful for having them in the community and we want to share and amplify their stories of doing business in Middlesex County.
Specifics as detailed in the Awards Categories: “Making it in Middlesex: Stories of Business Success” aligns with the Advertising Campaign Award Category by spotlighting local businesses, highlighting their achievements, and promoting the benefits to being in Middlesex County. Through compelling narratives and storytelling, the project exemplifies excellence in communicating the impact and success of Middlesex County businesses locally, regionally, and internationally.
Sustainability of Your Project: By promoting local businesses and their success stories, we cultivate a supportive ecosystem that encourages entrepreneurship, job creation, and investment within Middlesex County. Furthermore, the multimedia format ensures enduring visibility and impact, fostering a legacy of business excellence and community pride. We have four key sectors, and we create one video per key sector each year, so we allow ourselves plenty of businesses to choose from in the future that have not yet been spotlighted through the Making it in Middlesex initiative.
Please visit the URLs to YouTube videos categorized by each Key Sector in Middlesex County for the Making it in Middlesex series.
Manufacturing – Baribeau Construction – Video
Agriculture – Van Osch Farms – Video
Small Business – Dashwood – Video
Tourism – Willow & Water – Video
