Key Challenge
Trailing behind . . . Sometimes all the assets of an area can converge in one destination and visitors don’t even know it.  Such was the case with the McKean County.  Smack dab in the middle of some of the most beautiful country in the state of Pennsylvania, this regional destination is the intersection of most major recreational trails in the area.  But ask a service employee at a major attraction for a trail map and he’ll send you to the next county over.  And visitors were just as clueless.  How then can a destination where everything comes together, create an identity that gives it credit for the convergence.

Critical Insight
Connecting the dots (or in this case, trails) . . . North Star research revealed that McKean County has more trails to take credit for than even they knew.  In addition to traditional hiking and walking trails, the destination boasts the intersection of ATV, driving, antique, history, architecture, water and vertical (skydiving!) trails.  And the trails don’t shut down when winter comes, they just open up additional recreational opportunities including snowshoeing, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.  The cherry on top: all those trails are tied directly to the area’s railroad and lumber heritage.  But marketing materials and maps failed to pull together this unique trail mix.  The key to success for McKean County was to own its rightful reign as trail central.  

Brand Strategy
North Star recommended positioning McKean County (marketed as ANF Visitors Bureau) as the center point for all trail adventure in Pennsylvania.  Using the strapline Trail Central, marketing materials focused on identifying the wide variety of trail travels available in the area targeting not just outdoor enthusiasts but shoppers, sightseers, diners and more.  Because nature and heritage are key aspects of any trail experience, design elements representing them such as seasonal leaves were woven throughout the entire brand identity package.

 

Initial Concepts

One of the ways North Star brings your destination 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 Allegheny National Forest. All were designed to help them wear their brands like a second skin.

• Fly with the eagles - Partner with the Boy Scouts of America to promote the Allegheny National Forest as the ideal place for Eagle Scouts to complete their final projects. Consider developing a list of varying types of projects Scouts could participate in. Give completed projects plenty of coverage on your website and in local media, thus encouraging more high flyers to seek out ANF as the venue for their final project.
  
  
• Build the world’s largest pile of leaves - Leaf peeping is a huge attraction in the Allegheny National Forest. Invite residents to take advantage of the leaves after they fall off the trees. For three or four weekends in late fall, pile up leaves in various places throughout the area and make it so folks of all ages can enjoy jumping through and playing in the world’s largest pile of leaves.

• Promote affiliations - Allow businesses to take part ownership of the ANF brand by announcing their affiliation with the Visitors Bureau. For any business who wishes to distribute the ANF Visitors Guides, provide them a branded window cling to display in their shop. Reciprocate their promotional efforts by featuring those businesses on the VisitANF.com website in a special section. Below is North Star’s recommended branded
  window sticker design:
  
  

• Create public art -Make your art initiatives higher profile with a coordinated Public Art Program. Projects
  for the program include incorporating the leaf motif into existing architecture and commissioning a local or regional artist to create three-dimensional leaf sculptures for high-traffic areas.

Kudos

“Our agency was looking for an “outside” eye to provide insights into what would both attract more visitors AND differentiate our region within the scope of outdoor tourism. North Star’s branding study for McKean County exceeded all expectations and has been embraced by our communities and business owners. The brand is producing solid increases in visitation numbers for the region.” 
- Linda Devlin, Executive Director, ANF Visitors Bureau