Eastern Kentucky PRIDE

Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment

Visit Us on Facebook Visit Us on Flickr Visit Us on YouTube

Branding Southern and Eastern Kentucky: Updates on May 2 and 3

Two informational meetings will be held about an initiative to create a regional brand for Southern and Eastern Kentucky. The meetings will be held:

  • May 2, 2018, from 12:00 pm ET until 1:30 pm ET, at the Heritage Hills Banquet Hall, which is located at 472 Falls Street in London.
  • May 3, 2018, from 11:00 am ET until 12:30 pm ET, in the Johnson Building Community Room at Big Sandy Community and Technical College, which is located at One Bert T. Combs Drive in Prestonsburg.

The meetings are free, but space is limited, so reservations are required. Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. To make a reservation, please contact the PRIDE office at 888-577-4339 (toll free) or PRIDE@centertech.com.

The meetings will provide an update on the regional branding initiative launched in January 2018 by PRIDE in partnership with the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky through a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

What is “regional branding”?

“The ultimate goal of this initiative is to grow our economy through tourism, and we believe our communities can be more successful if we work together,” explained PRIDE’s Tammie Wilson.

“We know Southern and Eastern Kentucky is a place worth bragging about,” she said. “As we try to grow our economy and enhance our quality of life, we must do so in a way that preserves the beauty and character of the community we all love. We must also actively manage our community’s image, keeping it attractive. That will lead to success in recruiting new jobs, as well as increasing retail sales receipts, restaurant sales receipts and tourism revenues.”

The regional branding initiative began with a series of six town hall meetings across the region in January. At those events, 225 participants identified the region’s assets and discussed how to showcase them through strategies, including a regional brand.

The May 2 and 3 informational meetings will present findings from those town hall meetings, as well as additional research by the project’s lead consultant Steve Chander of Chandlerthinks.

“Community branding is about creating a unified story we can all share that positively affects our reputation,” explained Chandler, a Kentucky native with nearly two decades of experience in strategic planning and brand development for local, regional and national brands. “It allows us to market Southern and Eastern Kentucky outwardly so we are leveraging what makes us unique and attractive.”

“Unlike traditional and familiar consumer product brands, a destination brand is not limited to one organization,” he said. “We all share it. We all are responsible for delivering the many experiences that can be found throughout our community, from our downtowns and parks to our restaurants and businesses. Everyone is part of the Southern and Eastern Kentucky brand.”

“This is more than a logo and catchy tagline,” Chandler added. “This branding project will provide marketing direction for many community organizations in the region. It will identify new opportunities for programs that can unite and grow local businesses. It will give everyone something to rally behind.”

For more information, please contact the PRIDE office at 888-577-4339 (toll free).

###

Comments are closed.

Find Us On Facebook

Join Our Mailing List!

* indicates required

Upcoming Events

No Upcoming Events