Overview
The Northwestern Connecticut Regional Planning Collaborative hired Studio Two to develop all aspects of a marketing plan and brand system to promote the North West corner of the state – an area comprising 9 towns and a wealth of natural beauty. The project had a relatively short deadline and a diverse constituency of partners and investors seeking to make a difference in the economic vitality of the region.
Challenge
A major marketing roll-out by the CT State tourism office meant that we had to have the website up and running in a short 6 weeks from the inception of the project. There were virtually no assets at hand – copy, photos, maps, etc. The region itself, though attractive and interesting, is very rural and somewhat removed. We had to find an innovative, interesting and crowd-pleasing way to highlight the region.
Solution
Studio Two principals made multiple trips down to the region to acquire the necessary photographic and video resources we needed, combined with on-the-ground discovery. We engaged the leaders of the Collaborative in multiple branding sessions – and from these emerged “The Secret Corner” brand direction. We developed messaging using humorous copy playing on the area’s quiet virtues. Building out a website with regional directories for each town, an image campaign, videos, brochures and merchant collateral, the brand and site were launched on time at a public event to universal approval.