I led creative strategy and brand repositioning for the comprehensive relaunch of NYSERDA's climate tech innovation program. My research revealed that climate tech entrepreneurs value speed to market and strategic partnerships more than traditional government support, requiring authentic ecosystem messaging over institutional promotional content.

We developed the "Innovation@NYSERDA: Where Climate Tech Gets Real" campaign centered around the positioning statement "When you innovate in New York, you get the world". Rather than generic program promotion, we showcased real climate tech success stories and ecosystem advantages, emphasizing New York's unique combination of regulatory support, market access, and investment capital across targeted market segments, digital platforms, and industry events.

Three key strategic decisions drove engagement: ecosystem storytelling over grant promotion, creating compelling narratives that climate tech innovators actually wanted to engage with; market-first messaging strategy with content that served as both advertisement and genuine value for entrepreneurs seeking commercialization partners; and multi-channel market activation that turned program participants into authentic advocates, generating peer-to-peer marketing within climate tech networks.

The campaign achieved surges in website and contact traffic that exceeded projected impression and click-rates, successfully increased program enrollment among qualified climate tech innovators, and established New York's reputation as a premier climate tech commercialization destination. Most importantly, we created a sustainable model for ongoing ecosystem development and established authentic market positioning for continued growth.

Ecosystem positioning generates more sustainable engagement than traditional program promotion. Climate tech innovators choose commercialization hubs based on genuine value and strategic advantages, not promotional messaging.

This project taught me how to balance public sector objectives with private sector innovation needs, navigate complex stakeholder approval processes while maintaining authentic market messaging, and create scalable communications systems that document real ecosystem value rather than manufacture artificial promotional moments.