Misgav Am enjoys beautiful mountain views from its location on Israel's far northern border, but for years they suffered from an image crisis. Young people thought it was too far out, and too cold to live in. Most of the community children grew up and chose to live elsewhere. In 2015 we launched a targeted branding and marketing campaign, bringing the community their first growth spurt in twenty years.
Established: 1945
Location: Upper Galilee, near Kiryat Shmona
Council: Upper Galilee
Character: Secular
Population: 450
The Story
You only have to look through the photos to see the stunning natural beauty of Misgav Am. In 1945 a group of young pioneers built the mountain top community in order to ensure a strong presence on Israel's Northern border. The community enjoyed steady growth until the 80s, when their grown children chose to live elsewhere.
It was an image crisis: Life in Misgav Am was viewed as difficult and expensive. It's in the coldest part of Israel, and despite being a ten minute drive from the next city, was seen as high up and hard to drive to. It's built along mountain tops and therefore more expensive to build on. Worse; the community members themselves lost confidence in their hometown – after seeing that their own children didn't want to live there, they didn't think anyone else would want to.
In 2015 we began an aggressive targeted marketing campaign. We created new branding materials for the community, a new website, and spoke to many families who were interested in the small-town scenic life. We also built a new playground, to create a more family-friendly vibe. That summer Misgav Am had its first growth-spurt in two decades, and welcomed 45 new residents, with 18 more during the following year.
Today the people of Misgav Am know that their town is an attractive living option, and their community will continue to grow each summer.
