The Tacoma Regional Convention + Visitor Bureau [TRCVB] proudly revealed its new brand identity for Tacoma + Pierce County at a launch celebration yesterday. More than two hundred guests took part in the event, which was hosted at the newly-reopened Foss Waterway Seaport.

July 25, 2013—Tacoma, Wash — The Tacoma Regional Convention + Visitor Bureau [TRCVB] proudly revealed its new brand identity for Tacoma + Pierce County at a launch celebration yesterday. More than two hundred guests took part in the event, which was hosted at the newly-reopened Foss Waterway Seaport. Excitement during the event was shared on Facebook and Twitter at #toughspirits. 

In addition to a new visitor-centric logo, which now includes the word “travel,” the TRCVB also boasts a new marketing campaign, “Fearless Exploration.” This campaign reflects the brand promise—Pierce County is a place to fearlessly explore a fusion of natural beauty and an accessible arts culture. Over the next few months the TRCVB will gradually roll-out the brand and ensure that people understand what having a brand means. 

“We see our brand as who we are. It’s not a logo. It’s not a slogan. It’s the total sum of words, images and associations that form the customer’s perception and helps us distinguish our destination from other cities,” said Bridget Baeth, TRCVB Director of Marketing + Communications. “We hope that locals will embrace this brand and inspire others by living and sharing the Pierce County story.” 

Through a storytelling approach, the TRCVB will promote travel to Tacoma + Pierce County, focusing on three iconic images—Mount Rainier National Park, glass art and collector vehicles. “Brands must be unique to stand out,” said Bennish Brown, TRCVB President + CEO. “We can’t be all things to all people. In order to be memorable, we must focus on a few key messages that will capture the hearts and minds of our customers.” 

While Tacoma + Pierce County offers a wide selection of things to see and do from golf to maritime adventures, the TRCVB will focus its Fearless Exploration campaign around Mount Rainier, glass art and collector vehicles. Visitors can still find a variety of activities and suggested itineraries on the TRCVB’s website, www.traveltacoma.com. 

The main vehicle for the new Tacoma + Pierce County brand is www.traveltacoma.com, redesigned to showcase the new blue, orange and gray color scheme, giving more space to beautiful imagery yet still featuring many of the same functionalities. The TRCVB’s website developer and partner is SiteCrafting, a Tacoma web-based solutions provider. 

The TRCVB also presented traveltacoma.com/explore, a new section of the website that features stories on the local food, music, beer and blue-collared arts scene to inspire potential visitors. “A myriad of images representing the brand to further entice visitors to choose Tacoma + Pierce County for their next vacation can be found on our new Pinterest page, www.pinterest.com/traveltacoma,” Baeth said.

Yesterday’s brand launch is the culmination of over a year-long process, which was led by the TRCVB’s in-house marketing + communications team, all within its existing budget. It began with hundreds of locals and visitors contributing to TRCVB’s research by way of surveys, focus groups, pulse groups and meetings.

“It became clear to the TRCVB that a brand identity was needed to better market our area from a tourism standpoint,” Brown said. It is the hope of TRCVB that local businesses will use the destination brand alongside their own to further enhance the promotion of Tacoma + Pierce County. As demonstrated during the brand launch, the new logo and brand story can easily be incorporated to other businesses’ branded materials, as it was seen on the Harmon’s seasonal Fearless Exploration Imperial Rye IPA.