Northern Kentucky Convention & Visitors Bureau Unveils New Brand Platform; Planners, Visitors Invited to "RethiNK" What Northern Kentucky Has to Offer

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Jon Reischel
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E-Mail:  Jon.Reischel@strata-g.com

Northern Kentucky Convention & Visitors Bureau Unveils New Brand Platform; Planners, Visitors Invited to "RethiNK" What Northern Kentucky Has to Offer
Campaign to be introduced at Annual Meeting on March 22, includes new logo, marketing materials, web site, direct mail and more

COVINGTON, KY [March 22, 2007] — The Northern Kentucky Convention & Visitors Bureau (NKYCVB) is unveiling today a strategic branding, marketing and direct sales initiative designed to strengthen the Northern Kentucky brand and elevate the perception of the region among meeting planners and the travelers they serve. The campaign will be introduced at the NKYCVB's Annual Meeting, held at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center on March 22, 2007 at 5:30 p.m.

Designed to challenge perceptions and position Northern Kentucky as an extraordinary destination for leisure and corporate travel, conventions, meetings, daytrips and group tours, the new campaign highlights the area's greatest assets – the unique attractions and amenities that can only be found in Northern Kentucky. Key messages are expressed in an inviting theme, "RethiNK" – a compelling call to action for meeting planners, promising an experience that is exciting, popular, distinctive, and far beyond expectations.

"Our challenge, and our biggest opportunity, is in debunking the myths and overcoming the perceptions of people who have never visited Northern Kentucky," said Tom Caradonio, president and CEO of the NKYCVB. "This new branding campaign will help us communicate to the masses what thousands of meeting planners and visitors already know: that Northern Kentucky is an extraordinary destination."

A new logo treatment – with its distinctive NK mark and elegant river swash – reflects the region's increasingly urbane array of offerings. Seen in whole, the new logo creates a more sophisticated brand essence, while its design allows the NK mark to stand alone for an uncommonly intriguing and upscale brand icon. The new brand identity will be used in a strategic, integrated campaign, which was created and implemented with the NKYCVB by advertising agency Strata-G Communications. Program elements include:

1. New Website at www.NKYCVB.com.
2. Distinctive Direct Mail campaigns for FAM (familiarization) tours and trade shows.
3. New Advertising for publications geared to meeting planners and niche audiences such as military and family reunions.
4. The 2007 NKYCVB Annual Report.
5. Brochure and Postcard Series that highlights Northern Kentucky's unique attractions, from shark petting at the Newport Aquarium to the first Hofbrauhaus outside of Munich. The campaign piques the interest of prospects with unexpected imagery and promises, and asks a playful "Where else?" before answering with a definitive, "Northern Kentucky: Like nowhere else."

The 2007 Annual Meeting will also include the NKYCVB's economic impact report to the community for 2006. Highlights include:

• The total economic impact to the community as a result of the 2006 marketing initiatives of the NKYCVB was up slightly from 2005 to $40.8 million.
• The return on investment to the community for each $1 of NKYCVB marketing expenditures was up 10.4% to $10.31.
• The total economic impact of visitors' spending in Northern Kentucky's three-county area reached an all-time high of $263 million in 2006.

"Northern Kentucky has enjoyed solid economic success and stability in recent years, and our reputation is growing as an attractive meeting destination," added Daniel Fay, chair of the NKYCVB's board of directors. "But to rest on our laurels would be to miss an opportunity to further establish the region as a choice destination. Our new brand campaign will help introduce meeting planners and visitors to recognizable experiences and attractions throughout Northern Kentucky and spark an emotional connection to learn more about what we have to offer."

About the Northern Kentucky Convention & Visitors Bureau
The mission of the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau is that of an aggressive sales, marketing, service and informational organization whose primary responsibility is to positively impact the Northern Kentucky economy through conventions, meetings and visitor expenditures. The direct economic impact of visitors' spending in Campbell, Kenton and Boone Counties in 2005 was $255 million.