Walton TDC Presents New Branding

This didn't really register with me the first time through, but I wonder how much he is going to want for it. Maybe he will come on and let us know his thoughts on the branding change since he is likely in line for a nice payout for owning the site. Could be kinda interesting with his perspective on wasteful government spending. I also wonder if any others in the community have any comments on what would be a good selling price. :idontno:

If he in fact is the owner - not just the registered agent for the domain name - then probably less than a Coastal Re-nourishment engineer's annual cost.

:clap::clap:

Gee, if only we had some local photographers who took amazing photos of the beaches, local events, and people enjoying their vacations - the TDC could just use those photos and save a lot of money. :sarc:

If he in fact is the owner - not just the registered agent for the domain name - then probably less than a Coastal Re-nourishment engineer's annual cost.

:clap::clap:

Interesting comparison. Guess I need to get into buying website domains and holding them.

So you have set the ceiling. Am I right to assume that if the asking price comes in over that amount that the WCTA will have an issue, or at least you will?

Gee, if only we had some local photographers who took amazing photos of the beaches, local events, and people enjoying their vacations - the TDC could just use those photos and save a lot of money. :sarc:

That would actually help the local economy. Something that some people just don't understand I guess.

If they are looking for focus group feedback:

1) The "S" in "South Walton," using this old-style cursive font makes the "S" look more like a lower-case "f". So on first glance it reads as "Fouth Walton." When the mind tries to make sense of that gibberish, it tends to translate into something that makes sense, like "Fort Walton". Both effects -- confusion and translation -- are not desireable in a logo.

2) As others point out, the tag line "to each, your beach," being grammatically incorrect, is immediately awkward. That renders it either immediately forgettable, or, as with the logo, something the mind tries to translate into something that is more sensible. Again, not the effect you want in a tag line.

One additional thought: marketing a County area like Walton (as opposed to a town, city, or other defined area) is hard. A story to illustrate:

For years, Lee County, Florida tried to market itself as Lee County. They even named their tourism promotion office the "Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau".

One day they woke up and realized that the crown jewel of Lee County was the Sanibel Island beaches and city of Ft. Myers, since it contained the legendary Thomas Edison Estate and two major league baseball spring training camps.

The marketing was changed to promote Ft. Myers-Sanibel instead of Lee County. The area boomed with visitors, and subsequently attracted some of the strongest new home construction in Florida for a number of years. The arrival of a new airport there helped that growth as well...

Credit goes to Elaine McLaughlin, the retired head of the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau for capturing what visitors saw and turning it into a much more marketable brand than "Lee County".

Gee, if only we had some local photographers who took amazing photos of the beaches, local events, and people enjoying their vacations - the TDC could just use those photos and save a lot of money. :sarc:

Yeah, and maybe that local photographer would make a buck as well. I suggest Kurt's photo in "Its a Green flag day" in the "All About SoWal" thread. Its simply beautiful.

Interesting comparison. Guess I need to get into buying website domains and holding them.

So you have set the ceiling. Am I right to assume that if the asking price comes in over that amount that the WCTA will have an issue, or at least you will?

I post under my Name and my posting and views are mine and mine alone. The WCTA speaks for itself through its president Bonnie McQuiston.

I have set nothing in terms of a fair value for the domain name I don't own it.

I don't even know if the TDC would be interested in the domain. They may have other names in mind.

LKM seems very professional (I don't like the whole your beach moniker) and I am sure they have the bases covered in this regard.

How much would the domain Sowal.com be worth?

:wave:

I have set nothing in terms of a fair value for the domain name I don't own it.

Sorry I misunderstood your post, the way I read it was that if he owned the site the cost would be "probably less than a Coastal Re-nourishment engineer's annual cost." Like you said, we'll have to wait and see. The good news is that it will be public record if it happens.

I have no idea how much the domain is worth and is why I asked the question in the beginning. I would think that sowal.com would have a different higher value as it is something, a very good thing IMO. I don't know how to value a registration of a domain.

[edit] Saw your comment about WCTA, makes sense and thanks for keeping me straight.

I'm curious if the TDC has ever filled the film commissioner position? Marketing aside nothing has done more for selling this area than The Truman Show. It moved Seaside from an Architects bucket list to a tourist mecca. I believe Eddie Bauer and Lands End still use this area for catalog shoots.

Great column from Kurt, should be a must read for those who care about the branding of our area.

I spent 25 years overseeing research, statistics, programming and marketing for media companies in the United States, including serving as a media consultant. I built brands that achieved #1 market share.

In ad agencies, sometimes the baby gets thrown out with the bath water when trying to freshen a brand. That's what this ad agency just did. We're selling sand here folks, and the TDC understands that. What the TDC is missing is a stronger ad message from their agency.

TDC, go back to the agency and tell them to try again, and don't pay them another dime of that $1.3 million until at least three different concepts are created and tested in research with at least 100 actual SoWal visitors.

Seeing words like "Appalachians" and "strand" in that proposed LKM text posted earlier tells me some ad agency copywriter has a Carolinas slant to their writing, i.e. the "Grand Strand" of Myrtle Beach. If much of the original research was conducted using focus groups in North Carolina, throw it out. Rest assured I recognize the NC lingo because one of our sons lives in Raleigh, our family used to live in Charlotte, and as a youngster I lived in Chapel Hill, NC, just down the road from Dean Smith and up the hill from James Taylor's parents house.

Simply put, TDC, your goal should be a brand evolution...not a revolution.

I disagree. We aren't selling sand. You can find sand in Destin and Panama City Beach. LKM is simply selling lifestyle and making memories. Of course you cannot see that in this thread.

Regarding North Carolina, if it weren't for the Appalachian Mountains, you wouldn't have a beach here in Florida. The quartz comes from those mountains.

For anyone who thinks this ad agency is pitching the Carolina's in their South Walton ads, I think you are missing it. One of the team leaders on LKM is from South Walton.

I disagree. We aren't selling sand. You can find sand in Destin and Panama City Beach. LKM is simply selling lifestyle and making memories. Of course you cannot see that in this thread.

Regarding North Carolina, if it weren't for the Appalachian Mountains, you wouldn't have a beach here in Florida. The quartz comes from those mountains.

For anyone who thinks this ad agency is pitching the Carolina's in their South Walton ads, I think you are missing it. One of the team leaders on LKM is from South Walton.

Information that was unknown until now.

One of the team leaders on LKM is from South Walton.

Really ?????

And who might that be ?:popcorn:

Information that was unknown until now.

If any of you had as much interest to actually attend the workshops and presentations, you wouldn't be so late to the table.

Everyone wants to give the verdict, but no one seems to want to invest the time sitting in the jury box.

One of the team leaders on LKM is from South Walton.

Really ?????

And who might that be ?:popcorn:

Go do your homework, Bob.

You gave one tiny segment of information which started this thread, yet you forgot to include the complete package. Don't get so lost in one line item that you blind yourself from the big picture.

I don't care who it is - my issue is with the piss poor results and money being wasted.

We need to be doing things smarter and cheaper, using local talent/businesses whenever possible.................. not reinventing the wheel every time.

Especially when a round wheel works much better than a square one - no matter what the graphs/spin say. :roll:

More and more publicity and reviews for our area seem to be written by people who are too busy promoting their own agendas/friend's businesses to be honest - and I think it is starting to cause some major credibility issues.

Does anyone know if the TDC publishes their budget details online someplace? I'd like to see a breakdown of where the money is going.

Go do your homework, Bob.

You gave one tiny segment of information which started this thread, yet you forgot to include the complete package. Don't get so lost in one line item that you blind yourself from the big picture.

Thanks SJ - I will do just that. You used a connection from SoWal in a manner that was implying that this was all OK because one of the team leaders was from here, yet forgot to mention who that person was.

I posted what I had (wasn't given a copy or any handouts) and what I thought was relevant to the issue. Seemed to open up a discussion that has been wide ranging. (1378 views and 118 posts)

Ford and Chevrolet

Hmmmm... :scratch:

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