Guest feature: Angela Visintainer is the director of economic development for Caroline Economic Development Corporation. Follow CEDC on Facebook and Twitter.
Caroline Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) has launched a new brand to attract businesses, talent, and visitors to Caroline County. Establishing a strong brand for the County was identified as a top priority in CEDC’s five-year strategic plan for economic development.
The new brand was built around the tagline “You Belong Here,” which was chosen after extensive community input. CEDC hired Choptank Communications, a marketing firm based on the Eastern Shore, to conduct focus groups, a public survey, and one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders throughout Caroline County. Participants were asked to provide their insight into the culture and characteristics that best define the County. In total, nearly 400 people who live and/or work in Caroline County provided input that helped shape the brand.
“It was interesting to see how consistent feedback was across demographic groups and industries,” said Angela Visintainer, Director of Economic Development. “There were very clear themes that emerged. Almost everyone talked about how warm and down-to-earth Caroline County is, and how it just feels like home. Many people also spoke about how collaborative and close relationships are in the County. There are a lot of very strong partnerships.”
Based on the input from the community, Choptank Communications proposed the tagline “You Belong Here” to serve as the foundation of the new brand. This was reflected back to many of the same people who participated in the focus groups and interviews to get their feedback on the concept. There was overwhelming consensus that “You Belong Here” accurately captures the character of Caroline County.
Both Economic Development and Tourism will be incorporating the new “You Belong Here” brand into all future marketing efforts. CEDC will also offer to share the tagline with other County agencies, departments, and non-profits, as well as the various municipalities throughout the County.
“Our hope is that the brand will be widely adopted, which will create a consistent message and experience for everyone visiting, living, or working in the County,” said Visintainer.
To learn more about the new brand for Economic Development and Tourism, please visit the CEDC website at CarolineBusiness.com.
The post Caroline Economic Development Corporation Launches New Brand appeared first on MDBIZNews.
from https://mdbiznews.commerce.maryland.gov/2016/11/caroline-economic-development-corporation-launches-new-brand/
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