Key Challenge
Moving and changing.  Rolling across the heart of Barton County, Kansas, is the breathtaking Wetlands and Wildlife National Scenic Byway.  This wildlife and bird sanctuary offers visitors a glimpse at a Kansas that defies stereotyping and contrasts that invite closer inspection . . . from a single rare bird to a flock of migrating fowl, from a field of wildflowers to a lone gnarled tree, from a heart-stopping sunset to a heart-soaring sunrise.  Barton County had already undergone a branding process for the Byway that placed this rare asset into the strategic context of motion and change.  The brand took into account the Byway’s geography, history and nature, elevating it from a transportation conduit to a dynamic, evolving, experiential destination. 

The challenge:  To integrate that brand fully into the fabric of the Byway experience, involving the destinations along the Byway in a way that gives them room to also express their own identity. 

Critical Insight
North Star research found that key target markets for the Byways include birders; bicyclists; nature travelers; soft adventure seekers; wildlife, bird and nature photographers; national parks and wildlife refuge visitors; and scenic byway travelers. These different target markets might be attracted to different activities, but the soul of the experience remains the same.  A trip to the Byways is not just about the motion and change of nature or the passage of time.  It is about the varied ways that people move through the destination and the change – sometimes subtle and sometimes significant – that an encounter with the Byways engenders.  This is not just a place for people seeking entertainment (though there’s plenty of that), this is a destination for travelers who want to ensure that each footprint they leave on the earth makes it a better place.     

Brand Strategy
North Star wrote a sustainable strategic plan designed to both attract visitors and appeal to their desire to be part of positive social and environmental change. Specific strategies:

• Integrate the ideas of motion and change (within the environment and within visitors) into the existing attractions, events and assets offered by the Byways
• Recommend new attractions, events, assets and products that can be developed on a long-term basis, which support the motion and change brand
• Create customized messages designed to reach each of the different target markets with information that appeals to their specific interests
• Develop an electronic media kit with photography, itineraries, editorial content and messaging for general media and media targeted to specific Byways visitor markets
• Revamp existing websites making them more interactive and evocative of the principles of motion and change

 

Initial Concepts

One of the ways North Star brings your brand to life is with a Brand Identity package, which is the creative representation of your identity. Creative goodies include recommendations for a logo, strap line, color palette, print ads, outdoor boards, t-shirts, websites and more!  (Note:  The “initial concept” is North Star’s recommendation.  As our client’s brand implementation progresses we will provide their “evolution of the idea”!)

 

 

 

Brand Action

Bringing a two-dimensional brand to life in a three-dimensional community takes a strong brand action plan. Following are a sampling of action ideas from the hundreds developed specifically for the Wetlands & Wildlife National Scenic Byway. All were designed to help them wear their brands like a second skin.

• Prepare your birders - Provide branded gear to prepare birders visiting the Byway to not only give them the best and most exciting experience but to help connect their experience there to the Byways brand forever. Some examples include some branded binoculars, a necessity for the ultimate bird-watching experience, or a branded Jansport backpack styled with the Byways new logo ready to be packed for your birders next journey.
  
  
  
• Incorporate the Brand into Partner Tools - Window decals are an easy way for people and businesses to support the Byway and feel part of the spirit of the Byway.
  
  

• Cultivate a Relationship with Kansas Division of Travel & Tourism - Kansas Travel & Tourism represents Kansas at a variety of tradeshows every year. Participate and attend if the tradeshow specifically targets a Byway target market. When Kansas attends the more expensive domestic or international travel and tradeshows, provide the representatives with Byway Guides, promotional material and the travel itineraries.
  

• Enhance the On-Site Visitor Experience - Make branded reflection journals available at major exhibits through the visitor centers. This will prompt and encourage the visitors to immediately engage with and comment upon the significance of what they have just learned and how it relates to how the motions of humans change the lives of the habitats and inhabitants of Wildlife Areas and Refuges here and across the country.
  
  

 

Kudos

"The value of the market research provided by North Star has been amazingly beneficial. It helped "paint the picture" for our communities, supplying an understanding of where we needed to head . . . and how they could fit into the picture. Additionally, the research has provided a solid foundation for seeking grant funding to further our byway projects. The depth of the market research makes it of long term value to the byway."
- Cris Collier, President, Great Bend Convention and Visitors Bureau