‘Are You Most?’, Owen Sound’s award- winning entrepreneur marketing and recruitment campaign is back with Phase III. The concept matches local residents who act as hosts, with applicants who apply for a personalized 24-hour test drive of the city.

This year’s focus is two-fold; to entice friends and family of Owen Sound residents to move back and consider starting a business here, and to target urban entrepreneurs to relocate to the Scenic City.

The campaign’s organizers understand the emotional appeal of having loved ones come back to raise their family and start their careers in their hometown. “It’s becoming cool again”, says Brent Fisher, Manager of Community Development and Marketing for the City. “Owen Sound offers young entrepreneurs the opportunity to run their own business, tele-commute and raise their family in one of the most beautiful parts of Ontario.”

The City will be reaching out to local residents via social media, asking them to invite their friends and family back to Owen Sound to see what all the buzz is about. Locals can send a personal invitation to those people they want to live closer to via the website at www.areyoumost.com/i-know-someone.

The second target of this phase is reaching out to urban entrepreneurs to consider moving or buying an existing business in the downtown core. It features quirky social media ads looking for “A Disco Ball Emporium” or an “Insect Chef”.

Since 2017, the campaign has yielded 92 applications, 16 personalized visits and resulted in multiple people relocating to Owen Sound and opening businesses.

“There is a general view that you must leave your hometown when you are young. We think that’s okay, but want to remind friends and family of city residents that Owen Sound is on the up-swing and they just might want to come back and be part of it”, says Fisher. “We’re rolling out the welcome mat.”

The ‘Are You Most’ initiative took home top honours in the Innovative Community Category at the 2018 EDCO Awards.

source: media release, City of Owen Sound