At Thursday’s meeting, the board also expressed apprehension about the proposed tagline, “A Little West of Center,” opting instead to ask the RSCVA and its brand agency Mortar to revisit that part of the campaign. Although “A Little West of Center” was intriguing to many, the board asked for more work to find a tagline more in line with the essence of the campaign.

The logo and accompanying creative direction follows extensive input both from local stakeholders and residents, as well as testing with potential visitors. In all, the brand platform approved last month was predicated on research that touched nearly 11,000 consumers, mostly in primary drive markets in the Bay Area, Sacramento and the Central Valley, as well as fly markets that serve the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

The platform focuses on promoting the true, authentic Reno Tahoe to visitors who have either never been to the region, or have not been in awhile. Among those visitors – the low-hanging fruit, to use an alternative phrase – there is a generally positive perception of Reno Tahoe, but a general lack of awareness about what Reno Tahoe offers, and the amount of change that new development and urban revitalization has brought to the urban core.

So, with the exception of revisiting the proposed tagline, the RSCVA is prepared to roll out the new brand platform and creative. Although introduction of the campaign will happen in phases over the next six months or so, targeting demographic and geographic markets, the RSCVA remains hopeful that the buy-in expressed by our partners in tourism and the region’s residents will be the engine that reverses the 11-year decline in visitation that our region has suffered.

• To read about the Reno Tahoe’s market potential research, check out Branding Reno Tahoe: Research is Key.
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