Clarity Through Creativity: How AdvanceCT Elevated Connecticut’s Global Brand • Shirar O’Connor, Vice President of Marketing at AdvanceCT

In this episode, we sit down with Shirar O’Connor, Vice President of Marketing at AdvanceCT, to explore how clarity, creativity, and strategy come together in one of the nation’s most successful economic development websites—recently honored with a Gold Award from IEDC.

With nearly three decades of experience spanning the U.S., U.K., Netherlands, and beyond, Shirar offers a rare, global perspective on foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic development marketing. She shares how AdvanceCT’s data-backed, design-forward website became the digital front door for Connecticut’s business ecosystem—and how economic developers everywhere can apply the same principles to strengthen their own storytelling, even on limited budgets.

Tune in for insights on:

• FDI trends and shifting investment strategies
• Balancing creativity and clarity in economic development marketing
• Building digital tools that empower local communities
• Real-world metrics behind an IEDC Gold-winning project