by Emily Bufkin, MD

In early September, Amazon launched a search for a home for its second headquarters and invited cities across the country to submit their proposals for consideration. The criteria for submission were simple - a metropolitan area with more than one million people, a stable business-friendly environment, and the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent. Amazon charged cities to think big and creatively when submitting their proposals. 

With HQ2, Amazon promises to grow the new headquarters into a full equal of the company’s current Seattle base by providing up to 50,000 jobs and an initial 5 billion dollar investment in construction. Every $1 dollar invested by Amazon in Seattle resulted in a $1.40 for the city’s overall economy. Reviewing Amazon’s impact on Seattle over the last two decades, it's understandable that  hopefuls were willing to do just about anything to catch Amazon’s eye. 

Birmingham was no exception when they launched the creative (and not to mention big) #bringAtoB campaign. Three giant Amazon shipping boxes were installed in prominent spots around the city - Legion Field, Railroad Park, and the newly-opened Pizitz Food Hall. Each oversized shipping container was marked with placards encouraging Birmingham residents to pose with the boxes and post the photos on social media platforms being sure to mention @amazon. The campaign also included two Amazon Dash buttons - one of which was installed in the UAB student center - as another means to grab Amazon’s attention. Each time the dash button is pushed, a pre-programmed tweet touting Birmingham’s strengths is released from the @BringAtoB twitter handle. 

When the October 20th deadline passed, Birmingham was among 238 other cities vying for HQ2. The home of HQ2 is set to be announced in early 2018. Though Birmingham may be a long shot to be the lucky last city standing, this campaign provided an opportunity for city leadership to reflect and to better prepare for Birmingham’s future. It provided an opportunity to take pride in our city and the strides we have made over the past decade. But also, most simplistically, it provided an opportunity for a great social media post. 

Learn more about the Bring A to B campaign, or check it out on Twitter @BringAtoB.