New marketing and communications practice combines economic development strategy, site-selection insight and specialized marketing expertise

NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hickey today announced the launch of Hickey Creative, a new marketing and communications practice designed to help economic development organizations strengthen how they position, market and communicate their communities to business decision-makers.

Hickey Creative brings together Hickey’s experience in economic development strategy and site selection with specialized expertise in branding, marketing, public relations and strategic communications. The practice is designed to help communities develop marketing programs that are closely aligned with their economic development strategies and informed by how companies and location advisors evaluate potential investment destinations.

“Economic development marketing is most effective when it starts with a clear understanding of the audiences a community is trying to reach, the industries it is positioned to attract and the factors that influence location decisions,” said Barry Matherly, CEO of Hickey Global. “Hickey Creative extends that thinking into the way communities tell their stories, communicate their advantages and compete for investment.”

Hickey Creative will support economic development organizations with services including marketing strategy, brand positioning and messaging, website strategy and development, content marketing, public relations, digital marketing, campaign development and strategic communications.

The practice will also support companies and organizations with communications surrounding business expansion, investment and project announcements.

Jessica Scanlon will serve as Chief Marketing Officer for Hickey Creative. Scanlon is the founder of Hot Dog Marketing, an Austin-based marketing and communications firm with experience serving economic development organizations, public-sector clients, government contractors and professional services firms.

“Economic development organizations are often asked to market their communities in an increasingly competitive environment, but marketing cannot operate separately from economic development strategy,” Scanlon said. “The opportunity with Hickey Creative is to connect the two using strategy and the site-selection perspective to inform how communities position themselves, what they communicate and how they reach the companies they want to attract.”

Hickey Creative’s approach is built around aligning marketing with the full economic development process, from understanding target industries and competitive positioning to developing messaging, content and campaigns that support business attraction and investment.

The launch expands Hickey’s ability to support economic development organizations beyond strategy and advisory services by helping clients translate those strategies into market-facing communications.

Hickey Creative will serve clients across the United States and internationally as part of Hickey’s broader economic development and location strategy platform.

About Hickey Creative

Hickey Creative is an economic development marketing and strategic communications practice informed by strategy and the site-selection perspective. The practice helps economic development organizations position their communities, communicate competitive advantages and build marketing programs designed to support investment attraction and economic growth.

Hickey Creative combines economic development and site-selection expertise with capabilities in brand strategy, messaging, websites, content, public relations, digital marketing and strategic communications.

For more information, visit HickeyCreative.com.

About Hickey Global

Hickey Global Economic Development Consulting (Hickey Global) is a full-service economic development consulting firm that supports private, public, and non-profit economic development organizations worldwide. As part of the Hickey Family of global advisory companies, Hickey Global offers access to leading location advisory talent, robust technical resources, and cutting-edge data analytics, ensuring the ability to create custom solutions that help communities prosper.

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SOURCE Hickey Creative