Visiting Vicksburg, MS

The North Star Destination Strategies' team recently got underway with a tourism-focused branding project in Vicksburg, MS. During our visit we had the opportunity to meet some Vicksburg locals and find out what they felt were the "must see" attractions in town. Check out this video to hear what they had to say!

Community Branding: Manistee County, MI Case Study

Loren Eisley once said, "If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in the water." This makes Michigan - with the greatest total water surface area in the nation - mighty magical indeed.

Not surprisingly, then, most Michigan cities can boast about their abundance of water. But access to all that water, well that's a different story.

What makes Michigan's Manistee County so special is not that it comprises more water than land (57% to be exact). Or that it is hugged by 25 miles of Lake Michigan Shoreline, traversed by 276 miles of rivers and streams and dotted by 8,200 acres of artificial lakes and ponds. Not even its 73,503 acres of wetlands, five wild and scenic rivers or nine one-of-a-kind inland lakes make it unique.

What makes Manistee County unrivaled in the world of water is the access that people - visitors, residents and businesses -- have to all that H2O. You can engage with water in almost every way imaginable including fishing, swimming, motor boating, transportation, water sports, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, walking the Riverwalk, sunbathing or just dipping your toes during a leisurely beach or shore stroll.

North Star recommended positioning Manistee County as a place for those drawn to four seasons of natural beauty, which connects tributaries of communities on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, where access to abundant and diverse bodies of water is an ever-present source of inspiration, charm and attraction.


The graphic identity supporting this strategy is based on the line "Where Life Meets Water," which celebrates the elevation of everyday experiences when they are combined with water.

"People today are very experiential," explained North Star CEO Don McEachern. "They don't want to just look at something. They want to understand it, interact with it, touch it . . . feel it. Manistee County leaders had the vision to create a community where people can fully experience the water - soak it up, if you will - on every level."

Action ideas associated with the brand range from merchandise to signage to digital apps to co-branding:

• Reward businesses that participate in brand ambassadorship with a branded water cooler for their lobby.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Partner with Explore the Shores on ways to increase the influence of this important initiative.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Use pole banners to increase visibility for the brand in highly trafficked areas, included major water access points.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Develop merchandise that keeps Manistee County's brand top of mind.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Create a customized smart phone app that helps visitors hone in on the closest water access in Manistee County