The Riverwalk is a popular tourist destination in downtown Wilmington. (StarNews file photo)
New Hanover County’s designation moniker “Cape Fear Coast” will soon go away. The county’s Tourism Development Authority approved a new marketing slogan and advertising plan.
New advertisements and other promotional materials will prominently read “Wilmington” with “Historic River District & Island Beaches” in smaller letters. The names of the county’s three beach towns – Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach – appear along with the moniker on larger advertisements where there is more room for extra words.
Rebranding the county as a tourism destination added up to about $25,000, said Kim Hufham, president of the county’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. That amount included holding focus groups, conducting surveys and creating the new moniker, logo and advertisements using a water theme.
The county’s total tourism marketing budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, is $561,180, which comes from a percentage of the 6 percent room tax revenues paid on hotel and other vacation lodging in the county.
Of that, the Brandon Agency, of Myrtle Beach, will be paid $90,000 this fiscal year for its work as the county’s contracted advertising and creative agency. Hufham said that amount is broken down to $30,000 for product management, including strategic planning and meetings, and $60,000 for production, including advertisement management.
Date posted: September 8, 2011
User-contributed question by:
Ben McCoy
That’s got to be just about one of the stupidest things I have heard in a long time. And the fact that we spent $25,000 to come up with it? The elementary students could have had a competition and done a better job.
It has been the Cape Fear area for 400 years or so. It is still the Cape Fear, despite this stupid new moniker. It will always be the Cape Fear, even if that sounds scary and not PC.
Why is New Hanover County’s Convention & Visitor’s Bureau contracting with an agency based in Myrtle Beach? Why aren’t they using a local agency and attempting to keep our money in the area?
$90,000 gone out of state to pay a group that also represents Wilmington’s competition (Myrtle Beach)
Had the $90,000 been spent in retail shops and grocery stores here in town we’re missing only about $10,000 in sales tax revenue when it’s all said and spent.
So how much money is the convention center spending with them? They have that contract too you know.
It’s only money.
It’s still cape fear. It’s just going to be marketed differently so that Wilmington has it’s own branding which should increase interest in tourism…
But it does seem like they should have used a local company… unless they local company cost more?
I really think the key word in the article is “management” Get the picture?
Hi. I can answer the questions about why the Convention and Visitors Bureau didn’t use a local company for its advertising and creative services.
The CVB requested proposals from any interested media company. They listed the request for proposals on various websites, their own website and in local media. However, no local companies submitted a proposal.
Shannan Bowen, StarNews