Sauk County Brand Development & Marketing Strategy Services

Sauk County is seeking a brand marketing consulting service to develop a distinctive brand identity that will define the County to prospective businesses, residents and visitors. The brand identity will emerge through a process that identifies Sauk County's existing mix of business, cultural, infrastructural, economic and social assets and leverages these to craft a unique, compelling message for target audiences. The brand values will help Sauk County gain a consistent and county-wide reputation outside of the Wisconsin Dells brand. While Lake Delton is a large tourism draw, it is not the only draw to Sauk County. The ideal brand will be a "natural" play off of the well-known Wisconsin Dells Waterpark Capital of the World, and highlight the common thread connecting various elements of the region including but not limited to the economy, culture, tourism, residents, entrepreneurial spirit and government.

Sauk County does not want to be another live, work, play community. The branding and marketing campaign needs articulate clearly, what differentiates Sauk County from other regions in the state.

Background and Project Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges to our daily lives, affecting families, business and our communities. Opportunities though, have also presented themselves over the past eight months. In Sauk County, one of those opportunities is the understanding that strengthening existing relationships and building new ones is our greatest tool to get through these unprecedented times. This campaign will be the platform to develop greater partnership moving forward.

Opportunities for individuals and families across the country have also presented themselves. With the benefits of technology, work from home and even learning from home has become mainstream, providing people the opportunity to have a greater choice in deciding where they want to live and recreate. Our mix of natural resources and recreational opportunities provides Sauk County the resources necessary to be one of the premier tourism destinations in the State. These same assets are major attractors for new business and residents. In addition to using the branding and marketing campaign to build on our successful tourism industry, the campaign needs to also tell the story of why Sauk County is the place to live and grow business.

Project Goals: The branding and marketing initiative is the first step in a larger vision that will see the integration and reorganization of community resources and agencies into a regional approach, positioning Sauk County to take advantage of opportunities of future growth. Therefore, the program should support not only recruitment of economic development targets but also be used as a tool to strengthen collaboration between the County and other local agencies (municipalities, chambers of commerce, community groups) with related visions and goals.

Other critical deliverables include a comprehensive visual system and catalog of graphic assets to accompany the brand identity in order to graphically convey the brand message and to unify the County's collateral design language.

The final piece of the brand and marketing project is the development of an integrated communications plan that includes overarching brand awareness efforts as well as a guidance for targeted campaigns for select groups i.e. prospective economic development targets, visitors, residents, etc.