Phoenix is Hot: New PR campaign to lure businesses to the valley

Phoenix is hot -- the name of the new campaign aimed at luring business to the city, focuses on the positive about Arizona, but the truth is the headlines coming out of the state aren't always so hot.

The brochure and 30-second spot has been sent out to cities across the country. Produced for very little money by city staff, it touts our great business climate, but there are other headlines that indicate not everything is sunny in the state.

As Phoenix and the state tout Arizona's perfect climate to lure businesses here, other headlines are also popping up that aren't so positive.

A 2015 study ranked Arizona as the worst in the nation for mental health care. The state ranks 46th in child well-being and Arizona often lands in the bottom ten for its K-12 public education system.

"One thing we have to remember.. with big cities, we have big challenges."

The city of Phoenix, which produced the 30-second spot and brochure itself using staff, says campaigns like this can help turn many of those negatives around.

"We may not be the highest scorer in every area, we also have some of the highest potential in every area if we can get Fortune 500 companies to move into Phoenix and high tech companies and talented employees looking for work," said Deborah Ostreicher.

Governor Doug Ducey says despite negatives, he keeps pushing the positive.

"We're very proud to announce that Apple made its largest investment in Arizona. Those are the types of things we're focusing on while we're trying to put more money into our classroom so we have better results for all of our kids," he said.

The long-term goal is to get businesses invested here that will raise wages and raise the tax base. Once that happens, other good things will slowly follow with more dollars spent on education.

Some argue we can't afford to wait, but need to make things a priority now before Arizona gets a reputation it can't shake.