Case Study 2: CCEDC
Project Info: CCEDC Corporate Rebrand
Formerly the Carbon Chamber of Commerce, the Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) became a new not-for-profit organization in 2012. JumpSpark Creative Group,LLC. was already partnering with the CCEDC for their promotional and corporate event collateral when the executive director and Board of Directors hired us to work on a fresh, new brand for the organization.
The new organization marked a new beginning for this Carbon County business, economic development and tourism-oriented organization.
Their goal was to significantly increase membership, retain existing members as well as expand their reach to outside markets with regard to tourism. In addition, they wanted to change their target audiences' perception of the organization as this new entity promised to be welcoming and ultra-supportive of its members, a great asset to the community, a huge advocate and promoter of tourism, progressive, innovative, and most of all, fun.
What We Did
First, we began with branding. We updated the logo, created a new tagline, "Strength in Numbers," and developed a year-long PR campaign to promote and support the tagline and new mission and vision of the Chamber. This was accomplished in various ways: networking and signature events, broadcast, print and internet media coverage, new signage, new design of membership materials, the creation of the CarbonLink print newsletter (distributed bi-weekly) and development of a weekly Carbon eLink e-mailed newsletter and Facebook page. As the nucleus of their marketing and operational endeavors, we were instrumental in working with a Chamber-specific business software company to create a backend membership and accounting system as well as designed and currently maintain the content for the Carbon Chamber web site at www.carboncountychamber.org and DiscoverCarbonPA.com. We have also conducted various workshops for Chamber members with regard to website membership information center training and marketing their businesses on the site. In 2015, we upgraded the site to a responsive web site and have seen over a 300% increase in mobile device visitors to the web site. We updated the CCEDC website once again in 2019 to a new platform for a more contemporary and fresher look and feel with improved navigation.
Since the start of the campaign, which has been on-going for many years, we have seen a significant increase in both web site and visitor traffic. In addition to corporate branding, we also work on Chamber Signature Event promotional collateral, i.e. golf outing, annual dinner, administrative professionals luncheon & fashion show, and in the past, the Carbon County EXPO. All of our creative work and copywriting continue to reflect a high-end, contemporary look and feel for the Chamber, which has been definitely noticed and well-received by Chamber membership and the community. READ THEIR TESTIMONIAL HERE
Project Info: Tourism Branding Campaign-
FIND YOUR FUN IN CARBON COUNTY, PA
An on-going, integrated tourism marketing campaign designed to attract visitors to the Carbon Chamber website and to increase tourism in the Carbon County, PA area.
The Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) is a multi-purpose organization. It's not only an organization that is there to support and help local businesses grow and is the finger on the pulse of economic development in Carbon County, but it also promotes tourism for the county. Therefore, their website at www.carboncountychamber.org (Chamber URL) or discovercarbonpa.com (Tourism URL) functions
as a portal to ALL things Carbon County, PA. Besides providing Chamber and Economic Development-related content, the website primarly features seasonal information on events, accommodations, shopping, dining, cultural and entertainment attractions and other FUN things to do and see in historical Jim Thorpe and surrounding areas of Carbon County, PA (southern Pocono region). Our client, the CCEDC, faced a challenge on how to successfully promote their website as an important resource for visitors to the Carbon County area. At the same time, they wanted to greatly increase visitor foot traffic to their various towns and businesses.
What We Did
Keeping in mind that the CCEDC is a non-profit organization and has a particular budget to which to adhere, our first plan of action was to create a catchy campaign that would capture the essence of Carbon County, PA in all four seasons and that would resonate with its visitors. In 2014, we created and launched: FIND YOUR FUN in Carbon County, PA, which would be the tourism mantra for the CCEDC for years to come. This campaign has grown every year, since its launch. First, the focus of this campaign was a logo and a dedicated landing/webpage with seasonal tourism information on the CCEDC website as well as other campaign-related online content and advertising. Second, we designed a FIND YOUR FUN business card, which promoted the website URL and its content. These cards were distributed in strategic tourism locations throughout the county. Next, we designed an 80-page FIND YOUR FUN Coupon Book, which promoted hot deals of participating local businesses and also promoted FIND YOUR FUN resources on the CCEDC website. At the same time, we were part of an exciting limited edition CarbonOpoly Board Game project for which we designed the cover of the game. Both the coupon book and the game were sold all over the county during the holidays and online at the CCEDC website. Both FIND YOUR FUN products were a huge hit with the public and resulted in impressive traffic numbers on the CCEDC website. They were also a great way to promote the FIND YOUR FUN in Carbon County, PA brand and reinforce its meaning and purpose. In 2016, the FIND YOUR FUN in Carbon County, PA campaign became a hit on social media as the CCEDC staff and our winter and summer spokeswomen decided to hit the streets and promote local businesses and events with YouTube videos and Facebook Live videos, which have increased social media engagement by 300%. In collaboration with the Chamber, we also helped with the cover design and launch of the FIND YOUR FUN in Carbon County, PA Visitors Guide. These guides can be found at various Carbon County locations, especially accommodations. There is also a downloadable guide on the CCEDC website, which has been extremely popular. Since 2017, our FIND YOUR FUN in Carbon County, PA efforts have focused on partnerships with local businesses and high profile organizations as well as an increased social media and PPC push.
In late 2019, the CCEDC Carbon County Tourism Committee wanted to know if FIND YOUR FUN in Carbon County, PA still resonated with Carbon County visitors. They also were thinking of moving forward with a rebrand that also encompassed Carbon County economic development as an attraction for new businesses and residents. In January 2020, JumpSpark Creative Group, LLC. created and distributed the Carbon County Branding & Economic Development Survey, which was distributed to Chamber membership, the public, local businesses and schools, local government, non-profit organizations and other community groups for feedback. The survey results proved to be very enlightening and helpful to many organizations. Due to COVID-19, the Committee decided to put any rebranding on hold and will revisit survey results in the near future. READ THEIR TESTIMONIAL HERE