Denver: Fueling Client Success

Business environment in Denver and Colorado

Colorado is truly characterized by early adoption and that ethos filters into business, culture, and politics. Colorado became among the first two states to legalize adult recreational marijuana nearly a decade ago. Since then, the “green rush” has contributed more than $1 billion in tax revenue and added 44,000 cannabis-related jobs. Sustainability consistently is a top priority for Coloradans and Colorado entered the top five among percentage of EVs in new car sales nationally in late 2023. Finally, another example of Colorado’s early adoption – we lead the nation in cutting the cord (canceling traditional cable channel services in favor of streaming). Finally, Colorado became the second state in the United States to grant women’s suffrage and the first to do so through a voter referendum.

Denver, Colorado | By Sean Pavone

Business environment in the Denver Metro area is dynamic and diverse, characterized by a strong economy, thriving industries, and a focus on sustainability and innovation. Key sectors include technology, aerospace, energy, healthcare, tourism, and agriculture. The region benefits from one of the most educated workforces in the U.S., a supportive business ecosystem, and a central location with excellent transport infrastructure. Sustainability initiatives, such as renewable energy projects and green business practices, are increasingly prominent. Overall, the Denver Metro area offers a favorable environment for businesses to grow and succeed.

Communications, media and PR market in Denver, Colorado

The communications, media, and public relations market in the Denver Metro area is vibrant and competitive. It includes traditional media outlets like newspapers, radio, and television stations, as well as anonymous political blogs and many different experimental models for journalism. Colorado is a proving ground for developing a new model of journalism.

The PR market is largely dominated by small, or boutique, digital media agencies, public relations firms, and corporate communications departments. When Novitas first started, many companies did not see the value in public relations. As Colorado’s economy has diversified and additional regulations have been enacted, more and more companies are viewing public relations as a cost of doing business, as they do on the East and West Coasts.

Denver’s market benefits from a growing economy, a strong presence of tech startups, and a focus on sustainability and outdoor lifestyles, which influence the messaging and branding strategies of many businesses. The region’s media landscape is evolving, with a shift towards digital platforms and social media engagement, creating opportunities for innovative marketing and PR campaigns.

Key expertise of Novitas Communications

Issues Management
Corporate Communications
Crisis Communications
Legislative Communications
Reputation Management

Top 3 advice for foreign companies to navigate the media and communications environment in Colorado

Be aware of Colorado’s geographic diversity. Colorado’s location straddling North America’s Continental Divide has created divergent points of view between “Front Range” and “Western Slope” Coloradans. This also manifests in the differences between urban and rural, mountains and plains, and areas with ready access to the two major interstate highways versus those that are not.

Colorado is incredibly politically polarized, and the reasons are myriad. Tread carefully regarding political giving and/or even giving to seemingly innocuous nonprofit collaboration. There may be a political subtext that is not immediately apparent.

A large portion of our population speaks Spanish, often as a first language, so it’s critical to include Spanish-language marketing and communications in any effort.

Most influential media for consumer communications

The Denver Post – Denver’s daily circulated newspaper (3.32M unique monthly website visitors, 135K circulation, 532K followers on X/Twitter)
Westword – weekly alternative newspaper in Denver (1.74M unique monthly website visitors, 244K X/Twitter followers)
Denver television news stations
- 9News (KUSA) – Colorado’s most watched news station, 3.95M unique monthly website visitors, 596K X/Twitter followers,
- Denver7 (KMGH) – 1.26M unique monthly website visitors, 325K X/Twitter followers
- Channel 4 (KCNC) – 232K unique monthly website visitors
- Channel 2/31 (KDVR/KWGN) – 2.09M unique monthly website visitors, 211K X/Twitter followers
The Colorado Springs Gazette – daily newspaper of Colorado Springs (1.08M unique monthly website visitors, 122K circulation, 71.3K X/Twitter followers)
5280 Magazine – widely circulated monthly, glossy magazine with feature articles (72K circulation, 237K X/Twitter followers)

Most influential media for corporate communications

The Denver Post (3.32M unique monthly website visitors, 135K circulation, 532K followers on X/Twitter)
Denver Business Journal – the state’s weekly business newspaper (23.7K unique monthly website visitors, 18.7K circulation, 100K X/Twitter followers)
The Colorado Springs Gazette (1.08M unique monthly website visitors, 122K circulation, 71.3K X/Twitter followers)
9News (KUSA) (3.95M unique monthly website visitors,596K X/Twitter followers)
ColoradoBiz (25.6K unique monthly visitors, 8.93K X/Twitter followers)