Brno – a progressive city with many universities, research centers and technology firms
The marketing campaign Velvet Innovation is a play on words, referring to the 1989 revolution and flirting with the idea of a new kind of upheaval in the field of innovative technologies. The campaign is part of a program that aims to introduce specialists (and future specialists) from abroad to the opportunities that the South Moravian region offers in innovation and research.
As reported by Radio Prague, one of the initiators of the campaign is the South Moravian Development Center. The project, which has been allocated more than two million euros, is currently seeking a partner in communications to handle the visualization of the campaign's mission. "We want South Moravia as a region to be on the map of places where interesting things are happening for young specialists; we have something to offer," comment the campaign's initiators. Press secretary of the center, Veronika Svobodová, told us about its goals and who Velvet Innovation is targeting:
"Brno is a young, progressive city with many universities, research centers and top technology firms. All these organizations want to give talented people from around the world the opportunity, offering them the best conditions for developing their potential here in South Moravia. And Velvet Innovation is a channel through which we want to reach out to talents, aiming to interest young people and show them what they can expect, not only professionally."
Generation Y is the focus of the regional advertising campaign, as Brno is already considered the capital of "young" Czechia today. Students make up a large part of the city's population, so the city wants to attract even more "fresh blood" for the region's development. Major companies such as IBM and Red Hat have also opened development centers in the region, which are currently experiencing a shortage of highly qualified specialists.
"We divide the target audience by technical specialties and by country. The South Moravian region is today renowned for its technical fields – mechanical engineering technologies, medical equipment design – mainly electron microscopy, as well as information technology and aerospace technologies. Primarily, we would like to interest young people who would like to study in these fields. That is, fresh high school graduates and applicants, but also talents who already have experience in these areas but are looking for work and are not afraid to go abroad to try their luck.
As for geography, it will come as no surprise that we are focusing on countries with high unemployment rates among young specialists. So among the countries targeted by the program are primarily the states of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Eastern Europe, mainly Ukraine, as well as Southeast Asia," explains Veronika Svobodová.
Will part of this program also include assistance with practical issues related to moving to another country – visas, integration, etc.?
"This will not be part of the marketing campaign, whose goal is to send information to other countries. However, this campaign is part of a broader innovation strategy for the region, which also deals with more specific practical matters concerning higher education or support for firms," says Veronika Svobodová. "Velvet Innovation will not directly cooperate with agencies in the phase of practical processes; for now, it is only information about what is happening here and how it relates to other processes. The initial task of the project remains communication."