York County and Downtown York have partnered with North Star Destination Strategies to develop a community “brand” for marketing the area to visitors, residents and businesses. The project is being led by a steering committee with members from the Cultural Alliance of York County, Downtown, Inc., Main Street Hanover, York County Community Foundation, York County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and York County Economic Alliance.
According to North Star CEO Don McEachern, at the heart of York County and Downtown York’s brand will be its competitive differentiator — in other words, what makes the community special so it can stand out in the marketplace. And one of the best places to find that figurative nugget of marketing gold is in the hearts and minds of the people who call York County and York City home.
Toward this end, North Star developed a customized Community-wide Online Survey. The questionnaire has been carefully crafted to determine York County and Downtown York’s strengths, weaknesses, challenges and opportunities. All who live and work in York County are invited and encouraged to participate in this important community-wide initiative. The survey can be found on www.brandyorkpa.com. Surveys can be completed online and submitted electronically. Surveys must be completed and submitted by November 19.
“We have partnered with more than 250 communities across North America, and I can’t emphasize enough the importance of insights gleaned from community members,” stressed McEachern. “To learn what makes a community special, you have to go to the people who spend more than just their money and time there. You have to go to the people who spend their lives there.”
“York County and Downtown York are ready for a brand that attracts people to the amazing things happening in our community,” said Jane M. Conover, President and CEO of York County Community Foundation. “By having many key stakeholders at the table and involving the community in finding our differentiator, we are confident that the resulting brands for York County and Downtown York will resonate and build a following, making the brands successful.”
If you are interested in learning more about York County and Downtown York’s branding initiative, visit the website for this branding initiative at www.brandyorkpa.com. To learn more about North Star Destination Strategies, go to www.northstarideas.com.
