MDA’s new marketing strategy and collaboration will help promote state’s innovative economy
Coming off of a couple of years of economic development wins that have made Mississippi the envy of neighboring states, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) recently announced a new brand and marketing campaign developed in cooperation with The Ramey Agency called “Let’s Break New Ground.”
MDA Executive Director Bill Cork said while the brand of the past five years, Mighty Mississippi, has served the state well, the new brand was designed to be more aspirational, imply more collaboration and promote the state’s innovation economy.
“We tell the story of our state’s pro-business policies and favorable business environment,” said Cork. “Companies considering a project in Mississippi want to know that we are going to be here for them now and help them in the future. We wanted a brand that aligned with that. All we do is execute our plan, and we have a good one. We have a robust pipeline of new projects we are working on. The companies ultimately decide and there are global and national economic factors the companies also have to consider.”
The focus of the campaign is to emphasize speed to market by streamlining incentive programs and facilitating connections with partners such as government officials, companies and colleges providing workforce training opportunities.
“We want companies to be confident that by coming to Mississippi, they can go from spending money to making money the fastest,” said Cork. “The quicker we can get them breaking new ground, the faster they can start making money. So, let’s break new ground together.”
Recently Gov. Tate Reeves announced a Compass Datacenters project in Lauderdale County, a project the state says will create thousands of jobs and represent a $10-billion investment at full build-out. This past year, substantial investments from companies like Amazon Web Services, Amplify Cell Technologies, Liebherr and PCC Gulf Chem were announced. Reeves said these four projects combined represent nearly $12.8 billion in new capital investments and the creation of nearly 3,500 jobs.
“We’ve experienced record-breaking economic development successes over the past few years,” said Reeves. “When it comes to economic development, Mississippi is breaking new ground for business and its people. This brand campaign highlights our state’s pioneering spirit, the strength of our partnerships and our willingness to think creatively to help businesses succeed.”
Reeves said state leaders are excited to further expand the state’s diverse portfolio of industries and opportunities for Mississippians.
While the new data center projects are huge capital investments, Cork also points to the value of diversity. Since 2020, MDA has landed 160 projects worth $32 billion creating 23,000 jobs. The two data centers represent only 10% of the jobs, about 2,000.
“Data centers get a lot of attention but we have had an amazing run with a variety of companies,” said Cork. “The other 158 projects are really successful, too. We love the number of jobs created. Our other projects run the gamut from heavy equipment to distribution, financial services and high tech. We have a very diverse portfolio. The data centers have provided us with a construction boom in the state which has attracted a lot of construction workers. We hope many of them will fall in love with Mississippi and want to stay.
“We really believe that Mississippi has momentum; this is Mississippi’s time. People in Mississippi are proud of these successes and are pleased to be known for something that is positive and inspirational.”
Some project decisions are made in as little as three to six months. Cork said the Amazon data center project was probably five years in the making, and followed Amazon investing in four major distribution centers in the state in earlier years. Amazon Web Services’ is planning to spend $10 billion to construct two hyperscale data centers in Madison County.
Cork said they lose more projects than they win, which isn’t unusual considering how many states are vying for economic development projects. MDA and partners have a process of continuous and ongoing cultivation of projects.
“We try to keep the pipeline full,” said Cork.
Data centers require a lot of electricity. Entergy is providing the power needed to the Amazon data center in Madison County. The project will include building solar power fields for the company that has a commitment to investing in clean, renewable energy.
Some states have inadequate power supplies or transmission lines which make it difficult to compete for big data center projects and other energy-intensive operations.
“Mississippi is blessed to have four major power generation companies in the state, all of which deliver the power when it is needed,” said Cork. “This has been helped by Gov. Reeve’s Mississippi Power Play initiative. We need to stay on top of this and do everything we can to make sure we cultivate a long-term strategy for adequate energy supplies. We have some of the lowest industrial power rates in the region and that has served us well in being able to attract energy-intensive users.”
MDA’s new Chief Marketing Officer John Tingle said the MDA leadership in partnership with the Ramey Agency did a great job with the new marketing campaign.
“‘Let’s Break New Ground,’ at its core, is aspirational. It’s inviting to prospects and a rallying cry for the state,” said Tingle. “It is a strong reflection of the Mississippi economic development brand promise. That promise includes all the things that are helping drive our economic success such as streamlined processes, simplified and innovative incentives, bringing key partners to the table early on, and the site development grant program.”
Tingle said new businesses and industries are bringing higher-wage jobs to Mississippi. MDA is strategically working to attract the right industries and businesses that make sense for the state.
“Our project management team is at the forefront of thinking who that is and what types of businesses are the best fits,” said Tingle. “Part of our job in marketing and research is working to gain access to market segments. Our recruitment is very focused and targeted.”
Some of the projects landed have gotten national attention and those successes not only boost confidence and pride, but let businesses know Mississippi is a stellar option.
Tingle said Mississippi saw significant growth in GDP in 2024 and that has site selection consultants taking notice because they see Mississippi sustain or rise in the national rankings.
“From the marketing perspective, Let’s Break New Ground is a platform,” said Tingle. “Our marketing team’s key focus for the year is expanding our reach and evolving how we go to market around that. We are t elling the Mississippi story behind ‘Let’s Break New Ground’ and making sure it resonates with the right stakeholders in an actionable way.”