In the war for the hearts, minds and corporate relocations of businesses, Chicago has fired another shot across the bow at three Sun Belt rivals over recent legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, such as the Florida education law critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.”
World Business Chicago, the city’s public-private economic development arm, bought full-page ads Thursday in the Orlando Sentinel, Dallas Morning News and Phoenix Business Journal to launch a new marketing campaign and promote Chicago as a more inclusive business climate.
“In Chicago, We Believe,” takes on a lightning rod issue that has led a growing number of corporations, including Walt Disney Co., to condemn a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation enacted in Florida and other states. While Disney World is unlikely to pull up stakes anytime soon, the new ad includes a broader pitch that all businesses are “welcome in Chicago.”
