Rebranding Rural Alabama: The PR Strategies Reviving Small-Town Life.
Published on December 11, 2025, at 1:12 p.m.
by Parker Schell
Growth doesn’t knock—it has to be invited. That invitation, for many small Alabama towns, is a well-crafted public relations campaign that turns local identity into a magnet for tourism and new residents. In this digital age, towns are able to market themselves with storytelling in ways that haven’t always been possible.
Revitalizing Ozark: From Quiet Streets to a Place Worth Coming Home To
One example is found in the Wiregrass region. The small town of Ozark, Alabama, has used digital marketing to transform its downtown area. The city has used campaigns such as #buildingozarktogether to encourage residents to support development projects and encourage growth.
The city council ordained a special entertainment district for the downtown area, helping to improve city events. This reinforces what Holle Smith, President of the Ozark–Dale County Economic Development Corporation, describes as one of the city’s ongoing priorities: drawing young families to the area.
With this ordinance, the city was able to change how annual events such as the Christmas Parade, Crawdad Festival and Claybank Jamboree are marketed towards younger demographics. The city’s social media promotes these events on multiple platforms, while still using some traditional methods such as billboards and bulletins as well. By drawing non-residents to the area and fostering more local connection, these events are redefining the city’s image, evolving from a “retirement community” into a vibrant, family-friendly hub. Downtown events and other community initiatives bring residents together while encouraging younger generations to remain part of the community.
This is also why the city of Ozark uses PR to attract businesses. Former Mayor Mark Blankenship shared with WDHN reporter Robert Smith, “Well, I just think you got a mayor and a city council that’s really all working with a common goal with growing Ozark, and I think business owners are jumping in with us and doing what it takes to grow our city.” Providing more job opportunities is crucial for every small town with a goal to grow, and becoming visible to large corporations starts with publicity.
Wetumpka’s Big Break: Turning Publicity Into Progress
Another Alabama small town took its community-driven PR efforts to the next level when the town was selected for HGTV’s Home Town Takeover. Representatives of the small town, Wetumpka, Alabama, submitted applications for the show, and once chosen, HGTV’s Ben and Erin Napier had four months to revitalize the main street. Multiple digital marketing efforts, such as the town’s website and social media, paired with the HGTV spotlight, were leveraged to attract new business and revitalize an area that had long been neglected.
Before being selected for Home Town Takeover, Jenny Stubbs, founding director of Main Street Wetumpka had worked on revitalizing her hometown. “I was a bit afraid of how our town would be portrayed on national television, but I knew this was a platform we couldn’t create ourselves.”
Media exposure like Wetumpka’s always comes with one major challenge—sustaining it. Converting this one-time media hit into long-term engagement from residents and the surrounding area is crucial. “Synergy between the leaders in Wetumpka was paramount to reaching as far and wide and as long as we could. We all wanted to sustain this success,” said Stubbs. One way that the city was able to do this was around three years later, when it was featured in the HGTV special episode “Home Town Takeover: Where Are They Now?” This reappearance on the network helped to remind people of the growth and change the city has undergone. PR, such as this major media appearance, is not the only way Wetumpka’s charm is presented.
“I think the work our Main Street program did in concert with our City and Chamber laid an important foundation, so that when the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented itself, we were prepared and poised to capitalize on it in the most effective way,” Stubbs said, reflecting on the success.
The HGTV makeover not only made downtown more appealing to already residing businesses, but the revitalization also attracted more businesses to lease the newly renovated buildings. According to the city’s website, nearly 30 new small businesses have opened downtown since 2020. “We have hardly any vacant properties, which is unheard of for a town like ours,” according to Stubbs.
Another part of Wetumpka’s brand identity is its history. The city frequently highlights several movies that have been filmed in the historic area, such as Tim Burton’s Big Fish, offering tours of the “Big Fish House” and promoting filming locations for people to visit. The city is growing at a rate of approximately 1.16% annually, and its population has increased by about 6.09% since the 2020 census. A PRSSA article by Jason Carlton states, “while data can persuade people, it’s the story connection that can inspire them to act.” Wetumpka used the earned media on HGTV to tell its story – and the data shows the results.
PR as the Heart of Small-Town Storytelling
PR in small towns like Ozark and Wetumpka isn’t about flashy campaigns—it’s about strategic, consistent storytelling that highlights what makes these places worth living in. Whether it’s using local events to rebrand a downtown district or leveraging national media exposure to attract new businesses, these towns show how intentional publicity can spark growth. As more communities look to revitalize their local economies, Ozark and Wetumpka demonstrate that the right PR strategy doesn’t just change perception, but it can reshape an entire town.
