Heritage Branding for the Place

All the big brands are doing it. Connecting back to the lineage of hard work and pioneering effort of the good ole days. After all, it conjures images of gritty success and overcoming failures to produce something that resonates and connects. As a revolutionary new product is launched, the branding brass often must remind consumers of the heritage of the organization. Where they have come from influences the new products being delivered to show rooms, sales racks and cold glasses.

Jeep and Jack Daniels Whiskey have both launched intriguing new campaigns aimed at inspiring those hard core customers who respond to the history of the company. But how can this idea, of heritage branding, apply to a place. On a recent community BrandPrint In-Market visit to Dandridge, Tennessee I came face-to-face with the heritage present in this beautiful small town.

Everywhere I ventured in this community had an amazing story of strength rooted in the complex tapestry of their past. From the early Scots-Irish settlers and Davy Crockett to the peaceful surrounding of the Shepherds Inn where three presidents came to visit; Dandridge is a collage of history.

In the 1940s the Tennessee Valley Authority made plans to create the Douglas Dam. The impending flood, which is now the Douglas Lake, threatened to submerge the town and disperse its residents. However the collaboration of community members petitioned Eleanor Roosevelt to save the town of Dandridge. If you visit this quaint town, you will likely hear that the town of Dandridge was named after Martha Dandridge Washington, our first, First Lady. This fact inspired Eleanor Roosevelt to save the town from the inevitable flood. With Roosevelt’s blessing, the TVA constructed a levee behind the Main Street area. Without this dike, the town of Dandridge would be 1000 feet below water.

Just like consumer products, community branding can benefit greatly from these intriguing stories. Although heritage branding should only be one aspect of a comprehensive strategy when branding a community, oftentimes starting with the stories of the past is a great step in the right direction. The story of how Dandridge was saved connected with me. Which story from your community’s past will resonate with outside audiences?

~ Adam
adam@northstarideas.com