About Minneapolis Saint Paul More to Life Brand Campaign

What is Minneapolis Saint Paul More to Life?
The Minneapolis Saint Paul More to Life campaign is a branding initiative, led by a team of local civic and business leaders, working to eradicate common misperceptions held by outsiders and introduce the country to the true Minneapolis Saint Paul: a vibrant, diverse community with strong businesses and abundant cultural opportunities.

Why is the Campaign Important?
In a highly competitive global economy, an educated and skilled workforce is any city's most valuable resource. In the next six years, the Minneapolis Saint Paul area is projected to only add 266,800 workers to fill 655,300 anticipated jobs*. Attracting and retaining the best talent is critical. This campaign seeks to ignite the pride within local residents and inform outsiders about why they should work and live in Minneapolis Saint Paul.

Who is In Charge of the Campaign?
Three local PR agencies, Padilla Speer Beardsley, Tunheim Partners and Weber Shandwick, are leading the efforts with leadership direction from Meet Minneapolis and Saint Paul city officials, as well as several corporations headquartered in Minneapolis Saint Paul. The creative campaign was developed by Little & Company and Campbell Mithun supported the advertising placements.

Who Says Minneapolis Saint Paul has a Perception Problem?
National research commissioned by FutureBrand shows that those unfamiliar with Minneapolis Saint Paul:

  • say there is no reason to visit
  • do not perceive Minneapolis Saint Paul as sophisticated, cultured or unique
  • describe the area as quite conservative

When compared to competitor cities (Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Denver and Seattle), the research found that Minneapolis Saint Paul ranked:

  • Last for sophisticated
  • Last for cultural and artistic
  • Last for unique
  • Second for conservative
  • Fifth for liberal
  • Last for multicultural
  • Third for family-friendly
  • Fourth for genuine/down to earth
  • Fifth for friendly
  • Last for livable
  • Last for flourishing and vibrant
  • Last for youthful
  • Last for alive, fun and exciting
  • Third for affordability and cost of living
  • Last for economic vitality and other job opportunities

The good news is that these perceptions aren’t based in reality. Take economic vitality for instance. We rank first against our competitors for median household wealth, number of major headquarters, patent intensity and worker productivity, beating them on every benchmark except per capita income (where we rank third).

Okay, Great. But Where does the Funding Come From?
This multi-year initiative is not funded by public tax dollars. Support for the campaign comes entirely from the private sector through generous donations. Major supporters include 3M, Ameriprise Financial, Best Buy, Cargill, General Mills, HealthPartners, Hubbard Broadcasting Inc., Imation, SuperValu, Target, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo and Xcel Energy. More to Life advertising is a result of generous in-kind support from nearly 50 local media outlets. For a complete listing, click here.

*Source DEED