County tourism aims to renew image

Published 3:47 pm Monday, July 22, 2024

PACIFIC COUNTY — “Washington’s Evergreen Coast.”

A year-and-a-half after beginning an audit of its brand, the Pacific County Tourism Bureau officially unveiled its new branding last week, with bureau officials hoping the pivot will help expand its countywide marketing efforts.

The new tagline replaces “Visit Long Beach Peninsula,” which had been in place for at least a decade and which the bureau’s executive director, Katja Spitz, said had grown stale and out of step with the organization’s desire to market the whole county.

“Our brand was getting outdated by marketing measurements, and we needed to have something that could tie [us] geographically beyond the peninsula,” Spitz said. “We have been working on this for 18 months so it’s exciting to see it come to life.”

Pull Quote

‘Our priority is to ‘promote but protect’ and to align our efforts to attract a visitor who will visit responsibly, all year around and drive economic impact to our community.’

Katja Spitz, Pacific County Tourism Bureau executive director

The bureau has undergone significant changes in the past couple of years, with Spitz taking over as executive director in late 2022. Since then, its funding from the county has increased, additional staff has been hired and new branding is now being rolled out.

Brand audit findings

Spitz’s aim since taking over has been to attract visitors across a wider range of demographics and market the county as a year-round destination, an effort that included undergoing an audit of the bureau’s “Visit Long Beach Peninsula” branding. Brand audits examine a brand’s position in the marketplace, strengths and weaknesses, and opportunities for changes and improvements.

Conducted by Madden Media, a destination marketing agency, the audit included a focus group of 30 people from local industries, organizations and communities. The focus group’s perception of the bureau’s branding was that it felt antiquated, lacked the energy of the community it represents and didn’t resonate deeply with locals. They also noted that the sole focus on the peninsula emphasized only a specific part of the county and sidelined other diverse attractions.

“Participants emphasize that Pacific County is more than just its beaches, and the brand should encompass the rich tapestry of experiences the county offers,” summarized Madden of the focus group’s takeaways.

The bureau’s own board members reiterated much of what the focus group shared about the brand, and believed new branding should emphasize the generation-spanning family traditions created here, embrace all of the area’s natural wonders, and highlight the “unparalleled” hospitality and culinary experiences.

“The most common issue our brand was facing was having the word ‘peninsula’ in it,” said Spitz. “For our community it divided us as either on the peninsula or not on the peninsula, and for our visitors it created confusion from a geographical standpoint. In general, when referring to the Washington peninsula, the Olympic Peninsula is the most known and we want to set ourselves apart.”

New branding

The new tagline for the county’s brand is “Washington’s Evergreen Coast,” removing any mention of the beach or peninsula. However, Spitz said Long Beach will be the main brand and that they will launch secondary brandings of Tokeland and Raymond-South Bend in the future — but attention for now will be on rolling out the new tagline.

That effort includes what Spitz described as “large-scale marketing efforts” for the launch of the rebrand, and will comprise of erecting a billboard at Sea-Tac Airport, “wrapping” the buses of Seattle’s transit system in August, digital and social media advertising, influencer marketing, a new website address, and two digital kiosks that will arrive late in the summer.

“By offering an updated brand encompassing all the unique things a visitor can experience in our area, we are hoping to attract a diverse group of visitors ranging from families to adventure seekers, to outdoor enthusiasts and road trippers and everything in between,” Spitz said. “Our priority is to ‘promote but protect’ and to align our efforts to attract a visitor who will visit responsibly, all year around and drive economic impact to our community.”

The voice of the Evergreen Coast brand, according to the brand guide, is one that’s authentic, welcoming, adventurous, engaging and informative. The aforementioned traits will be used internally and externally for all future messaging.

The guide to the new branding positions Pacific County as “a place where nature reigns supreme,” and where every visit “promises new discoveries and lasting memories.”

“From historic Willapa Bay communities to forested state parks, the Evergreen Coast offers a rich culture shaped by salty tides and close-knit communities,” the guide states. “It’s a breath of fresh air with one-of-a-kind experiences, attractions, and events woven into everyday life.”