WAKEFIELD, MA — Wakefield will use a $45,000 state tourism grant for a video marketing campaign, a scavenger hunt and a sign series aimed at promoting the downtown area and highlighting local businesses, Wakefield Community and Economic Development Director Erin Kokinda announced last week.
The grant comes from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Wakefield has been working with a local public relations firm to coordinate part of its efforts.
“There’s so much to offer here,” Kokinda told the Town Council last Monday. “We were just lucky enough to get this grant.”
The town applied for the grant and now has a short window to spend its allocated money, Kokinda told the council.
As such, officials have worked with local firm Kevin York Communications to develop a series of videos highlighting the town of Wakefield.
One of the videos is a general trailer for the town, while the remaining three are day-in-the-life pieces focusing on individual community members and families themselves.
The videos will circulate on social media. Joining Kokinda in her presentation, Kevin York of Kevin York Communications said the videos will also be promoted using paid social media advertising to expand their reach beyond the town’s existing social media following.
In addition to the videos, the town is planning a “Shop Local” scavenger hunt set for Sept. 17. That program will aim to encourage community members to explore Wakefield.
“It gives them a tour of the town that maybe they haven’t seen,” Kokinda said.
A sign series dubbed “Discover Wakefield” will also place yard signs around Lake Quannapowitt featuring various facts about Wakefield and its local businesses.
There will be roughly 40 signs, according to Kokinda.
The sign series will aim to, in part, draw visitors who may come to Wakefield to enjoy the lake toward various other destinations in town.
Town councilors praised the project during their meeting last Monday.
Moving forward, Kokinda said the project is a starting point for future marketing work.
“It’s something that we build off of,” she said.
