By Steve Hubrecht
Pioneer Staff
Collaborative work on marketing the Upper Columbia Valley continues, with the valleys Co-op Marketing Project team working hard to formally launch the new Columbia Valley destination brand that was developed earlier this year.
The team announced a few weeks ago that brand guidelines and logos are now ready for Columbia Valley tourism industry stakeholders to use. The new brand was unveiled this summer, after several months of consultation with help from branding specialists CULT Collective.
Although the official launch wont begin until the new year, the brands eye-catching logo design and catchy phrase Columbia Valley: Its time to unwind. has already won plaudits from many in the valleys tourism industry.
The guidelines and logo are now available for any tourism-related business in the valley to use in their marketing advertising, posters, brochures, social media and other promotional material. Its the first step in rolling out the Columbia Valley destination brand, and comes in advance of a paid advertising campaign starting in January, said Co-op Marketing Project team member Andrea Tubbs. Its meant for stakeholders to partner with and use in conjunction with their own existing brand. The reason we are asking stakeholders to partner is to raise awareness of who, what and where the Columbia Valley is.
Research conducted earlier during 2016 showed that there is awareness of individual destinations within the Columbia Valley, but the area as a whole doesnt really have a resonating name with our target market, explained Ms. Tubbs.
As the Co-op Marketing Project team outlined in a letter to stakeholders, the brand has been developed to help the valley reach its full potential as a tourist destination, to bolster growth in visitor numbers and the revenue generated from visitors, and to give the tourism industry (and the revenue it generates) a boost during the winter and shoulder seasons. The team will hold a Town Hall session in order to provide a progress update on January 25th, although details such as the exact time and location have not yet been determined.
To access the brand and logos, and for more information, visit www.cvchamber.ca/columbia-valley-brand-guidelines/.
