In order to expand a region’s economic strength, a place must be attracting new people to fill jobs and contribute to the community. For this reason, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) has launched a new advertising campaign that will help spread the word about the Lehigh Valley to markets in Philadelphia, New Jersey and beyond.

One sponsorship promotes the great schools, jobs, and employers in the region. Another showcases how folks can enjoy the great outdoors, downtown life, and family fun all in one place.

The sponsorships are running on the popular WXPN radio station on 88.5 in Philadelphia and simulcast signal at 91.9 FM in New Jersey, which also can be heard in the Lehigh Valley on 104.9 FM. In addition, the messages can be streamed until Oct. 31 anywhere on WXPN assets, which are primarily in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York.

 In addition, there will be a digital campaign on NPR.org for three months starting in late August, specifically geo-targeted to users in the Philadelphia and New York metropolitan areas.

The digital spots feature one of the new Lehigh Valley logos, which Discover Lehigh Valley® and LVEDC unveiled in a joint marketing initiative Aug. 16. The logos provide a unified look for the two nonprofit organizations marketing the Lehigh Valley as an attractive place to live, work, visit and do business.

“Every day we hear from employers that developing, attracting, and retaining talent is a key factor to their success” said Karianne Gelinas, Vice President, Regional Partnerships and Talent Strategies at LVEDC. “Sharing unified, regional messaging about our appealing quality of life and about the opportunities here in the Lehigh Valley supports our employers in attracting the people they need.

The on-air spots and digital ads are expected to draw more than 2.7 million in total impressions from viewers and listeners, according to WPXN.

The ads can be heard on Alignment 90s at 9, Rhythm Lab Radio, Friday evenings (Culture, Cypher Radio, Indie Hit Parade, What’s the Frequency) and Friday Prime (Mixtape, Free at Noon, Funky Friday).

"We appreciate and truly value the work that LVEDC does to elevate the region by bringing together the key drivers of regional growth: people, business, and a little entertainment all to create a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds on their terms,” said Larry Rayborn, Senior Business Support Representative at WXPN. “In an evolving landscape, in many ways this is what NPR Music WXPN does, by creating a dependable, authentic space, intended to connect artists with audiences, and audiences with each other." 

The initiative, which is funded by the support of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is an outgrowth of Made Possible in Lehigh Valley, a multi-organizational initiative championed by LVEDC, Discover Lehigh Valley®., the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors, and others.

The campaign aims to foster talent attraction and retention efforts for Lehigh Valley’s employers, and increase opportunities for professionals within the region to connect with others.

A similar Made Possible in Lehigh Valley advertisement appeared last year on WXPN and NPR.