building community buy-in
Generation USA is a nonprofit at the forefront of workforce transformation, bridging talent to employers worldwide through their digital career bootcamps. To expand their services into rural Appalachia, the nonprofit had to overcome limited internet, high unemployment, and skepticism toward remote training. Here’s how WCG responded with a research-driven, community-focused engagement blueprint that would establish and expand Generation’s footprint in an area spanning 61 counties and two states.
analyzing every angle
Adapting Generation’s resources to Appalachia hinged on our understanding of its cultures and values – and WCG mapped the whole terrain. From in-depth interviews with community leaders to rigorous analysis of data from multiple government bureaus and local programs, we leaned on three pillars of research to lay the foundation for Generation’s engagement strategy.
Community Research – Speaking with stakeholders, we gained nuanced ethnographic and cultural insights that sharpened our target personas and our understanding of the barriers between Generation and Appalachian young adults ages 18 – 30.
Cultural Integration Research – Synthesizing successful programs in Appalachia to Generation’s own outreach, we identified opportunities to connect to community values.
Multimethod Marketing Analysis – Backing up all these ethnographic and psychographic insights with numbers, we pored over census, Association of Research Libraries, and U.S. Department of Labor reporting to pinpoint five Appalachian counties in which Generation could make the most impact.
Bringing this enterprise-level strategy to life at boutique-agency speed, WCG designed an agile go-to-market playbook for Generation to plant partnerships and activate potential across diverse communities.
guiding ongoing growth
In Generation’s own words, WCG delivered “BBDO quality at a fraction of the cost.” On all fronts, our engagement blueprint continues to support the nonprofit as it transforms the opportunities and education available to Appalachian communities.
