
Rebranding a vacation spot is among the most difficult duties in hospitality advertising. You’re not simply altering colours and logos—you’re reshaping perceptions, realigning customer expectations, and doubtlessly disrupting years of established consciousness. Many vacation spot entrepreneurs wrestle to successfully talk these model shifts, leading to confused audiences, wasted assets, and fragmented model experiences throughout channels. How do you guarantee your rebranding efforts truly resonate with potential guests? Which platforms drive significant engagement together with your new model id? And how are you going to measure whether or not your rebrand is definitely working?
Right this moment’s visitor has navigated these challenges with outstanding success. Cristal Rodriguez, Advertising and marketing Director at Tempe Tourism Workplace, has spearheaded a transformative rebranding initiative that’s setting new benchmarks for engagement and marketing campaign efficiency. With over 16 years of promoting management expertise throughout various industries, Cristal brings a wealth of experience in storytelling, digital technique, and neighborhood constructing. Her progressive strategy has not solely elevated Tempe’s model presence however has created a blueprint for a way locations can leverage social media because the catalyst for profitable rebranding.
Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton requested Cristal Rodriguez about:
- Platform-specific technique issues – Learn to tailor your rebranding strategy throughout totally different social platforms to maximise impression whereas sustaining model consistency.
- Content material drives transformation – Uncover how strategic content material creation can successfully talk your vacation spot’s new id whereas partaking each present and potential guests.
- Measurement past likes – Perceive the metrics that actually matter when evaluating the success of your vacation spot’s rebrand on social media channels.
Study extra about Cristal Rodriguez
Sources & Manufacturers talked about on this episode 💜
Full Transcript
(calmly edited)
Mike Allton: Welcome again to Social Pulse Podcast, the place we’re digging into the challenges, successes, and tales of social media, neighborhood professionals within the trade similar to you. Subscribe to realize priceless insights that you simply’ll be capable of apply to your personal work and social presence from each episode … Hey, Cristal, welcome to the present.
Cristal Rodriguez: Hey, thanks.
Mike Allton: Earlier than we dive into that total rebrand itself, are you able to briefly describe what prompted you guys to undertake this rebranding initiative?
Cristal Rodriguez: Yeah. It actually got here from a spot of simply wanting to maintain up with the town itself. So Tempe Tourism’s group had not had a rebrand within the final 13 years, and in these 13 years, we observed, clearly, the town is transferring and grooving, and rising. Tempe is unquestionably turning into an epicenter of financial improvement. We wanna be sure the tourism messaging aligns with that as nicely. So the expansion of the town, the expansion of the trade as nicely, was additionally a giant consider why we needed to rebrand.
Mike Allton: That makes quite a lot of sense. It looks like a fantastic alternative to rebrand and reap the benefits of quite a lot of these adjustments. Now, if you determined to make use of social media because the sort of main automobile for the rebrand, how did you determine which platforms can be simplest for introducing Tempe’s new id?
Cristal Rodriguez: Yeah, for us, it was quite a lot of analysis, however as a result of journey and tourism is such a visible trade. Now greater than ever, individuals are utilizing platforms like TikTok and Instagram to analysis journey inspiration, and that has grown a lot within the final, name it 5 or 6 years.
So you recognize, individuals are turning to social media to now plan their itineraries, and that’s such a giant motion for us, so we knew that once we did this rebrand, social media was positively high of thoughts, proper up there with promoting and media placements. So these two platforms, TikTok and Instagram, are the place the vast majority of our owned and goal audiences hang around, so it was solely pure to us that these can be the simplest platforms to introduce the brand new model id.
Mike Allton: Obtained it. So if you determined, okay, we’re gonna deal with TikTok and Instagram, was there something that you simply did to arrange these platforms for this rebrand?
Any steps that you simply took?
Cristal Rodriguez: Yeah. So, as a result of we lean so closely on these platforms. Social was truly the primary to roll out. We had sure belongings ready, prepared for the rollout on social media, in order that when the day truly got here to change every part over, we had every part we would have liked. So this included designing new reels and TikTok, video templates with the brand new model colours and fonts. We did all of that beforehand, after all, designing new spotlight covers, designing new graphic templates, and creating our announcement video.
Proper earlier than we launched, I’d say a pair days earlier than the entire employees modified over their LinkedIn profile footage or their cowl photographs to mirror the brand new model. we modified our icons in all of our social channels, not considering that anybody was actually going to note, and we didn’t count on anybody to, however we knew that once we made that gentle change, social was gonna go first, so it was necessary for us to have all of these belongings already prepared.
Mike Allton: Obtained it. All proper, so that you’re specializing in Instagram and TikTok, however we’re additionally ensuring that our staff have up to date cowl photographs and knowledge on LinkedIn, and new social icons on different platforms. A number of locations, I feel, would wrestle attempting to be constant throughout all these totally different platforms, even with Instagram reels and TikTok there are some variations and variations, I feel, in how we have to put together and tailor, and caption this content material.
How does your workforce sort of strategy this consistency problem through the rebrand?
Cristal Rodriguez: Yeah. For us, it was actually simply getting forward of social design early. It was a reasonably seamless transition to go from our previous branding to our new branding. So, simply ensuring that every part was designed beforehand as I discussed, social was the primary to go stay, so actually simply getting our arms soiled with the belongings that have been created, determining what we like to see, what we didn’t. Oh, the emblem seems actually nice, with this colour or it actually pops for those who use this font right here.
It was actually the preparation of designing these belongings first the place I really feel like most of our workforce was actually intricate in serving to design and put collectively the imaginative and prescient for this, as a result of we knew that when we converted and that first social rule went out, it was necessary to keep up consistency after that.
Mike Allton: I feel what I liked probably the most about what you simply mentioned was it sounded very collaborative. It sounded prefer it was a workforce effort from high to backside, which is improbable. A number of manufacturers aren’t doing it that approach, and they need to.
As we’re considering again to that preliminary interval of rollout to social, primarily Instagram and TikTok, have been there any explicit campaigns or posts that sort of stood out in your recollection that basically carried out nicely throughout that point?
Cristal Rodriguez: This can be a arduous query, however to be trustworthy, I don’t assume that there was one particular piece of content material that carried out exceptionally nicely through the rebrand, particularly as a result of the rebrand was mainly like a change, instantly going from previous to new.
Our romantic Valentine’s Day eating places did exceptionally nicely, and that was one of many greater items that launched after, the brand new stuff, that generated over 375,000 impressions, 36,000 interactions and engagements, and I feel what made it achieve this nicely, and it made it so efficient, was the truth that it mirrored our new branding.
So not solely the extra apparent issues just like the font, the colours, and all of that stuff, however it was very a lot a POV sort of content material, so placing the viewer within the videographer’s sneakers with the videographer experiencing as they might, as a customer would. The filming model is a little bit bit extra elevated, however it’s nonetheless approachable, and it feels prefer it’s your favourite native creator creating and exhibiting you this stuff which can be in entrance of them.
So the restaurant roundups additionally do very well for us. These characteristic a brand new and elevated eating expertise right here within the metropolis, and it actually displays the route of our metropolis and the place we’re going, and precisely why we have been prompted to rebrand within the first place.
Mike Allton: I like that story. I do know you have been saying, there wasn’t one which did notably nicely, however you have been actually speaking about, in reflecting there, is how necessary it’s to have alignment between your model’s model and strategy, but additionally you recognize, what your audience is absolutely notably thinking about, on this case, we’re speaking to individuals who wanna see what it’s like to go to Tempe and do a few of the fantastic issues there …
Cristal, let’s step again for a second as a result of I wanna be sure everyone listening understands the place you’re coming from.
May you’re taking only a second to share what your function is and what your group truly does for the neighborhood?
Cristal Rodriguez: Yeah, completely. So my function right here as Director of Advertising and marketing for Tempe Tourism is absolutely to supervise the entire outward-facing materials that leaves our workplace and into the arms of our audience.
So our huge mission right here is to draw guests from outdoors of Arizona into Tempe. I feel quite a lot of DMOs could get caught up in curiosity metropolis competitors, whereas we’re not likely targeted on that. I feel any guests to Arizona is a win for all of us, and so with Tempe particularly, simply actually showcasing the totally different experiences that individuals can have, proper?
Whenever you fly into the higher Phoenix space, you’re simply 10 minutes away from Tempe, you’re gonna have a special expertise, a special vibe, a special feeling if you get right here than if you have been to go to say Scottsdale or Phoenix. And I feel all of us right here within the higher Phoenix space have completed such job of promoting and sort of labeling our cities and what we’re good at.
And so we work on our streets, proper? Tempe is nice for a hidden Gem. We’re the epicenter of rooftops, so to talk. We’ve an enormous rooftop renaissance that’s happening in our metropolis proper now. We’re the very best bus rooftops right here in Tempe. Whether or not it’s to seize a drink, pool web site, or no matter, take within the surroundings, I ought to say.
That’s finest completed right here in Tempe. We clearly have Tempe City Lake, one of many solely water options right here in Phoenix the place folks can paddle, boat, kayak take within the sundown. So we positively play to our strengths right here in Tempe. Our audience, like I mentioned, is clearly anybody outdoors of Arizona.
We’re in search of these folks in Chicago. We’re reminding these folks, in Nevada and in Portland, in LA and in San Francisco, why their journey to Arizona must be necessary, and once they’re right here, why cease and Tempe is necessary.
Mike Allton: Adore it. You guys. Tremendous actually priceless objective and for these listening, for those who’re in the same function with the same group some place else within the nation. This can be a priceless episode for certain, and we’ve additionally talked to of us from Hocking Hills in Ohio and the Poconos in Pennsylvania. I’ll hyperlink to these reveals down beneath as a way to additional your journey and be sure you’re getting the sort of concepts and enter you want.
However let’s get again to rebranding as a result of I feel quite a lot of the oldsters listening who could have gone by way of this will likely have felt quite a lot of resistance internally or externally. I’m questioning the way you may need used social media to deal with a few of the considerations that may have come up in regards to the rebrand.
Cristal Rodriguez: This rebrand was such a giant overhaul, and I’ve talked about how collaborative the complete workplace was in making this successful. We at all times joke within the workplace that it was our inside remedy session for a 12 months and a half, proper? Nearly two years. However part of that journey was a social listening, heavy on analysis, however part of that was a social listening perspective.
And the suggestions we have been getting from our viewers already with our present model, proper earlier than we made the launch, over, we actually have been very nicely acquired as soon as we rebranded. Tempe is rising and remodeling into a brand new vacation spot. I feel our viewers was excited to see that this model displays the optimistic adjustments to the vacation spot, proper?
The vibe, the sensation you get if you get right here. I really feel like the colours which can be elevated in the way in which we communicate in regards to the metropolis, as elevated. Our web site is launching quickly, that complete overtaking and the copy that we write, the way in which we’re speaking about these locations by way of our native locations, our eating places are must-see locations. The best way we’re speaking that to the viewers is totally totally different than what it was two years in the past throughout this course of.
What we’ve seen to this point is nice suggestions. Everybody has been very variety by way of the feel and appear. We obtained quite a lot of “Oh my God, it’s about time” or t”his is nice” or,”now I’m ” or “now I’m watching,” so it’s all been good, and we’re very fortunate for that.
Mike Allton: That sounds superb. What a enjoyable expertise. You talked about the way you had a brief video that introduced the rebrand. I don’t know if there was quite a lot of different content material that you simply put out particularly in regards to the rebrand, or from that time, it was largely simply common content material that was rebranded.
I don’t know. Did you assume by way of how a lot to speak in regards to the rebrand itself, easy methods to steadiness that towards the traditional stuff that you simply’re needing to place out?
Cristal Rodriguez: I’ll let you know that, once we did this, clearly, that is crucial factor for our workplace, proper? In a really very long time, we have been very enthusiastic about it.
However did Joe from Chicago care about that? We actually needed to dig deep and sort of tone it again a little bit. So we did the rebrand reel, simply actually quick and candy right here’s our new look, right here’s what you possibly can count on. A number of the social methods and the entire good issues have been staying the identical, you’re simply, it’s gonna feel and appear a little bit bit totally different. However as we went alongside the journey and as we’re placing out new adverts and new seems and new feels, we saved getting the identical questions from the stakeholders like, how lengthy did this take, who was concerned in it? What did this appear like?
We simply saved getting quite a lot of questions. So only recently at our annual assembly we produced a video with a manufacturing, a neighborhood manufacturing firm right here known as ReelBros, they usually took us by way of and simply obtained quick snippets of the journey of the rebrand course of.
They caught a few scenes the place the entire group was going by way of phrase pairings, colour palettes, simply bits and items, and finally, we did some aspect interviews. Finally, this enormous eight-video got here collectively, and whereas we have been listening and watching it, it was very emotional for all of us to see.
We questioned whether or not or not we must always present it on the annual luncheon as a result of we thought, God, it’s mainly eight minutes of, how we did this rebrand and the way many individuals actually care about that.
I feel they care in regards to the finish consequence. And quarter flip, we determined to indicate it. And truly, it has been one in all our most performing movies, each on YouTube and, simply folks within the trade which have heard about it, that electronic mail us like, Hey, can I get a duplicate of that? Can I get a hyperlink to that? I wanna present my workforce or individuals who have been within the viewers. Hey, I used to be there, I actually wanna watch that video once more, I wanna present this particular person.
So we have been actually stunned at how a lot traction the rebrand video obtained, however it’s on our YouTube, and yeah, when you’ve got a spare eight minutes, we take you from begin to end, and it was a extremely cool mission to place collectively.
Mike Allton: I like that a lot, we’ll dig that up and we’ll hyperlink to it within the present notes beneath ’trigger we had the same expertise at Agorapulse. Earlier than the pandemic, we used to have company-wide annual retreats within the north of France, which is as superb because it sounds. Clearly the pandemic sort of killed all that, however on the final retreat we spent quite a lot of effort and time filming every part that was happening on the retreat a lot of B rolls interviews, drone pictures, the entire works, and that compiled right into a 5 to minute video, simply just like yours, and I bear in mind lots of people considering, eh, it’s simply us who cares actually, however no, folks liked it. We liked it.
We liked seeing ourselves and our mates and the conferences and the experiences that we had ’trigger it was, like all retreat, it’s a mixture of enjoyable and work, so there’s conferences to speak about branding and positioning alongside archery and line dancing contests out within the yard. So it was bizarre, however folks liked it, and I feel that’s necessary, notably in the case of social media, folks wanna see behind the scenes.
Cristal Rodriguez: Like I mentioned, we’re very excited that individuals obtained as excited as we did. I do know the primary spherical with the employees, once we noticed the completed video, it was a little bit emotional, and all of us kinda simply checked out one another, and are we getting emotional about this? That is so bizarre. It was sudden.
However we couldn’t be extra pleased with what, what got here collectively and what got here out of it, as a result of I feel the video actually did take us by way of once more, like from begin to end, however it actually did seize the emotion of this rebrand, and that’s what we have been aiming for therefore very pleased with that one for certain.
Mike Allton: I feel for all of you listening, it should even be very inspiring if that is one thing that you’ve got in your roadmap to undergo within the subsequent six to 12 months.
I’m questioning, Cristal, one of many questions I at all times like to ask of us in your seat is how they’re presently measuring social media.
How do they know whether or not or not it’s impacting their enterprise? ‘Trigger that’s an actual problem, I feel, for lots of hospitality, however I’m additionally questioning how that pertains to your rebranding efforts, for those who have been listening to social media outcomes as they occurred.
Cristal Rodriguez: We will measure KPIs comparable to saves and shares on sure items of content material. The stronger indication is definitely a go to, and we’ve been capable of measure in an enormous approach the impression of social media has been by way of efforts, and listening to from actual folks and companies in the neighborhood.
So we’ve had lodges come to inform us the eating places have been booked out as a result of one in all our movies went viral, we’ve had native vendor market organizers contact us and tell us, they acquired an uptick in attendees after we posted about their occasion. It’s not probably the most easy and cut-and-dry option to measure enterprise impression. For us, it’s the most actual and significant approach.
Mike Allton: That makes quite a lot of sense.
My final query for you, Cristal, I’m simply questioning, are there any instruments or assets which have been priceless to you all through this course of that may assist another hospitality entrepreneurs going by way of one thing comparable?
Cristal Rodriguez: Okay. Two huge applications that have been integral on this rebrand course of, was a fantastic mission administration system. We use Asana, which was such a giant half in gathering info, timelines, and deadlines all through the entire departments right here at Tempe Tourism.
At any given second, anybody from the workforce can hop into the Asana web page within the rebrand folder and examine to see the place we’re at. Likewise, from my seat, I used to be in a position as an alternative of workforce Z or emailing or asking one million questions. It was simple for me at any given time to enter Asana and pop into the mission and see,that is the very last thing that occurred, right here’s the place we’re at. Nice.
So, Asana was fairly huge for us, additionally our branding company, Atla*, was a giant proponent of Miro and Miro boards, and so our total rebrand course of by way of design occurred in Miro. So all of our workforce conferences, we might all log in and get right into a Miro board and go round, and we have been capable of give real-time edits as they have been occurring. You’ll discover that our phrase mark and our brand have the enduring Tempe Bridge, which wasn’t at all times the case. And so in earlier Miro boards and earlier iterations of the emblem, we have been capable of go in and say, whereas it was being offered, oh, this half seems bizarre, or was that water proper there? or what is that this piece? And so it was a extremely cool device to make use of, so I feel nice mission administration system. After which once more, from the design facet, Miro was nice to make use of as nicely.
Mike Allton: That’s so cool. Terrific recommendation. We use Asana nonstop. At Agorapulse, I’ve turn into an Asana convert. I wasn’t a fan at first, however now I adore it, notably with these podcasts. That is one in all 4 totally different podcasts that I’m operating at Agorapulse, and that may be misplaced if we didn’t have actually detailed Asana initiatives for every one with sections for each episode ’trigger happily, as soon as I get completed recording any explicit episode, I get at hand all of it off to the workforce for modifying and distribution.
Cristal Rodriguez: There you go.
Mike Allton: In order that’s improbable. Cristal, you’ve been completely superb. This has been such a extremely fascinating interview. I do know individuals are gonna have further questions for you, perhaps they wanna attain out and simply join. The place ought to they go?
Cristal Rodriguez: You could possibly at all times head to tempetourism.com, our About Us web page, the place yow will discover me there, and my electronic mail is in there. Additionally, be happy to attach with me on LinkedIn. I’m at all times keen to speak about this rebrand and reply any questions. Blissful to assist if I can.
Mike Allton: Fabulous. Thanks, Cristal. Thank all of you for listening. That’s on a regular basis we’ve obtained for as we speak. Mates, as at all times, we’ll have all of Cristal’s hyperlinks and every part we talked about within the present notes beneath, and don’t neglect to seek out the Social Pulse Podcast on Apple and drop me a overview. Let me know what you assume, what you’d like me to cowl in a future episode. Till subsequent time.