Branding + Marketing
Overview
Something we hear in almost every community we work with is that there are a lot of cool things happening in town, but people hardly know about it. Cambridge Springs is no exception––it has so many great assets, but knowledge of these assets outside of the area is low.
To help raise the city’s external profile and attract interest to the community, Atlas worked alongside the steering committee to identify two catalytic opportunities:
- A branded marketing campaign
- A tourism-focused website
Marketing Campaign
Overview
A brand is a perception. It is what people think of you, not just what you say you are. The point of branding is to create an emotional connection, and the most successful brands are informed by community input and confirmed by feasibility. In order for any campaign to be successful, the following must be identified:
- What makes the community unique?
- What goals does the campaign seek to achieve?
- Who will be the target audience(s)?
- How will the goals be achieved?
These questions and more are answered within the Historic Water Town Marketing Campaign Playbook, created and designed specifically for Cambridge Springs.
Key findings
The key findings from the public input distinguish the following Cambridge Springs assets as notable:
- Rich history around water
- French Creek running through town
- Welcoming, small-town culture and feel
Goals
By leveraging the assets of the community, Cambridge Springs will be able to establish a new identity for itself, engage teens and young adults, and support tourism efforts.
Target Audiences
Atlas also selected three audiences we felt would be most receptive to the message and likely to take action and visit the town. These groups include “outdoor recreationists”, families looking for a place to vacation, and “history buffs.”
Understanding all the Cambridge Springs has to offer, Atlas then created internal and external campaigns to achieve aforementioned goals.
Read the Full Playbook
The Historic Water Town Marketing Playbook is made up of the following:
Overview
Explanation of Goals
Identified Target Audiences
Internal Strategy
External Strategy
Best Practices
Read ItTourism- Focused Website
Overview
We’ve established that Cambridge Springs has a lot to share with several different tourist communities, but these assets aren’t currently celebrated in the digital marketplace. There is no go-to resource highlighting the “live-work-play” features that make Cambridge Springs a destination.
To further support the marketing playbook and establish Cambridge Springs as a tourist destination, Atlas created a custom website to serve as a landing page, telling the story of Cambridge Springs as a unique location. This will help the community to highlight existing resources, events, and destinations as well as serve as a local and regional hub for activities and events.