Rebranding a Region

How do you rebrand a region?

That was the question we asked ourselves after chatting with the team at Activate Tairawhiti.

Our search for an answer began with a robust brand strategy process, which included a number of key elements including workshops, research and (of course) spending time in the region. It was important we had first-hand experience of what we were trying to promote – the experience of visiting Tairawhiti-Gisborne. From our research we developed a core positioning statement “The region of firsts”. We also put together a target market definition to be used for later stages of the rebrand. This in turn led to our creative interpretation: “The First Light”, which led the initial campaign to market. A full brand and communications playbook was produced, which detailed all of the brand, channel and creative translations required for both the initial launch phase and subsequent campaigns. A core part of this was the need for a compelling online experience. We developed a content, social and functionality plan that would resonate with audiences whether they were looking to work, live or play in Tairawhiti-Gisborne. An initial content pool was then created and cascaded through traditional and digital channels including video, website, print and social. For the launch, we produced an initial suite of communications to run across numerous media channels including press, magazine and OOH as well as a heavy digital component. We developed and ran three months of social activity to refine messaging and trial various amplification techniques before handing control and recommendations over to the client’s internal team for management. Of key importance was the content layout, with the homepage and navigation tailored specifically to target audiences – allowing them to jump straight into content relevant to them. The website was also structured to accommodate an ever-growing services directory, which was integrated within the main content to provide relevance for users and greater uptake for the service providers.