“Chicago has values as a city, which makes it attractive for talent and corporations in the climate where other states drive legislation that is not respectful, inclusive of all the residents,” said Michael Fassnacht, president and CEO of World Business Chicago and the city’s chief marketing officer. 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.”
“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. 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 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.”