Branding a Region

If friends from around the country reached out over the holidays to say they saw Rockford on national television, they were likely watching NBC Nightly News the Saturday before Christmas.

On Dec. 20, 2025, the broadcast’s closing segment, “There’s Good News Tonight,” featured a Rockford holiday tradition: “Mrs. Claus” answering hundreds of letters that children drop off for Santa at a mailbox in Rockford’s City Hall during Stroll on State.

More than two minutes of emotionally resonant coverage on a national platform is a win for any mid-sized U.S. city. This demographic is often overlooked by major media in favor of the pizzazz of metros and the quaintness of small towns. For Rockford, such attention is a significant triumph in the ongoing effort to achieve widespread positive media coverage.

“This mailbox has a direct route to the big guy,” said Rockford’s Mrs. Claus while reading children’s letters.

Rockford’s name, scenes, and people stayed on the screen longer than is typical for such segments, which usually run from a minute and a half to just under two minutes. The extra runtime amplified the impact of the story our GoRockford team works so hard to tell about what and who make this region a great place to live, visit, and invest in.

This piece highlighted the soul of Rockford. It boosted civic pride and morale. It strengthened our reputation in ways that paid advertising cannot match.

Stories like this don’t end up on national broadcasts by accident. GoRockford retains a public relations firm that works year-round to identify, shape, and pitch stories that reflect the momentum and character of our region. The Letters to Santa tradition became one such opportunity, with planning and outreach beginning six months before the holiday season.

Just as important was preparation. We ensured high-resolution footage, interviews, and video B-roll were captured locally so producers could see and feel the story without deploying a full production team. In today’s media environment, where travel budgets are tight and staffing is lean, that preparation made the difference.

Following the national broadcast, the Letters to Santa segment aired across NBC-owned and affiliated stations through standard network syndication. The segment also ran online across NBC News digital platforms and was widely distributed on major partner sites, including Yahoo, Currently, NewsBreak, and YouTube.

Collectively, the online placements generated over 447 million monthly unique visitors, while the broadcast airings delivered national television viewership across NBC Nightly News, NBC News Daily, Early Today, and Kids Edition, including extensive affiliate distribution nationwide.

This piece reframed the city’s narrative as a place worth knowing more about and rooting for.
At GoRockford, reshaping our region’s narrative is intentional work. Through strategic earned media and national public relations outreach, we work year-round to ensure stories that reflect our momentum and character reach platforms that matter. When respected outlets choose to tell Rockford’s story, it builds credibility and helps replace outdated perceptions with a more accurate, forward-looking reality.

We know people make decisions about where to visit, live, and invest based on emotional impressions. This story planted a seed for all the above.

The video clip is on YouTube. I encourage you to find it, watch it, and share it with your connections.

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce.