CEOS FOR CITIES
Leveraging Research for National Recognition

With the baby boomer generation on the brink of retirement, the U.S. faces a seismic shift in labor markets. To overcome this “brain drain,” cities must invest in human capital, attracting and retaining 25-34 year-old college-educated workers. But what lures this young and restless demographic—so-called for their mobility and adaptability—to select U.S. cities? Why are they so essential to the global economy of the future? And what will happen to cities that fail to attract them?

Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the national, non-partisan research organization CEOs for Cities, engaged SM& to help spread the word on their recently released report addressing the issues mentioned above. “Young & Restless in a Knowledge Economy” identified the importance of the so-called young and restless (Y&R) and what cities must do to make themselves more attractive places to this essential demographic.

While an important organization, CEOs for Cities is not broadly known and faces fierce competition for commentary and coverage relating to urban affairs. Additionally, the idea of the Young & Restless is closely related to previous work done on the creative economy by Richard Florida, and many media outlets already had their fill of the human capital idea. SM& offered strategic counsel and media relations to support the launch of the report, but the real challenge was to sustain media attention after the publication date had passed. We proposed a poll; reaching out to the Y&R demographic to gather timely data would reinforce and refresh the report. Soon after, with our guidance, CEOs commissioned a survey of 1,000 25- to 34-year-old college-educated men and women from diverse backgrounds and geographic locations.

Working closely with Coletta and key CEOs for Cities staff, we created a detailed strategy, researched media opportunities, and tied Coletta’s travel schedule with media tours to build relationships and seed the Young & Restless idea with key reporters around the country. When the survey results were final in mid-June, SM& hit the ground running. By then end of the summer, SM& had placed the Y&R idea in 15 regional and national outlets, including BusinessWeek, USA Today, Washington Post, CNNMoney.com, Associated Press, Chicago Tribune and San Diego Union Tribune.