A New Brand to Inspire Travelers to Make Redding Their Next Adventure
Previously known as a drive-by destination between San Francisco and Portland, Redding, CA had an opportunity to position itself as a true destination for adventure in Northern California. Through a new brand, website and national media campaigns, DCI and Visit Redding rebranded the destination to put Redding on the map and appeal to today’s travelers who are ready to get out and go.
Under new leadership, Visit Redding had an opportunity to rebrand Redding, California as a visitor destination and to take tourism to the next level for this Northern California city. While Redding is known to some for its outdoor recreation offerings – including 300+ miles of trails and world-class fly fishing – it is known largely as a pit stop between San Francisco and Portland. For Visit Redding and DCI, the challenge was to launch a brand that would not only encourage travelers to stop in Redding, but also inspire them to get out and experience all that Redding has to offer – from mountains and rivers to one of California’s top cultural districts.
In order to launch a new brand for Visit Redding, DCI conducted a three-day immersion tour and a series of focus groups in Redding. In addition, DCI surveyed 1,000 past and potential visitors from five states: California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington to gauge current perceptions and identity gaps in messaging. Using findings from this research as a guide, DCI presented three brand concepts for Visit Redding to attract visitors, and ultimately narrowed it down to the final concept with input from a local steering committee.
DCI created the new brand for Visit Redding with the campaign “Redding. Set. Go.” to position Redding as a homebase for outdoor experiences in Northern California with a burgeoning downtown and arts scene, accessible, affordable activities and friendly locals. Inspired by the colors of Redding’s landscape and the excitement of adventure, the brand aims to be enticing to visitors and embraced by locals. In tandem with the brand creation, DCI redesigned visitredding.com, launched national paid media, influencer and public relations campaigns and crafted a social media, e-news, and blog strategy for the organization’s new leadership to implement.
