HomeMy WebLinkAbout04. Brand Platform Finalist - Resonance ProposalVail Local Marketing
District
Brand Platform:Brand Strategy &Identity
MAY 19,2023
A g lobal leading destination
strateg y and branding agency born
in the mountains
Resonance was born in the mountains
We started in the ’90s as Ryan &Deslauriers,marketers who lived in Mont Tremblant,Quebec and aided in
its rebirth from a neglected ski resort to a thriving Intrawest destination with a thousand new homes,a
village that lives year-round and a community that’s part of the economic engine that is Tremblant today.
We envisioned the experience and wrote the stories that sold it to eager audiences across North America
in the early aughts.
We’ve worked Eastern ice—think Blue Mountain,Ontario and Mountain Creek,New Jersey—and Western
powder extensively in Park City,Steamboat,Beaver Creek,Keystone,and Lake Tahoe.Big Sky is our most
recent mountain destination client where we helped change the narrative from functional superlatives (“the
biggest skiing in America”)to an inspirational brand message (“We unlock new powers in you”)that helps
the brand stretch from a ski-brand to a lifestyle brand that encompasses changing and growing
demographics.
We’ve watched winter resorts become year-round destinations.We’ve seen the snow recede and the
programming grow.We still love to ski,and we still don’t ski enough.
We’re passionate about destinations and we help them find and express their voice
Whereas we started in the Mountains,we’ve evolved into a global leading destination strategy and branding
agency.And we’re fortunate to learn and evolve together with our clients.Our work with municipalities like
San Luis Obispo in California and Christchurch in New Zealand has taught us a lot about regenerative
tourism and how we can articulate regenerative approaches in destination strategy in branding.Our work
with Houston,Brussels and L.A.has taught us how to navigate complex stakeholders and create unity and
alignment.Our experience has also taught us that a successful Destination Brand Strategy requires the
participation and alignment of not only industry stakeholders,but those of both the visitor and your local
community as well.As such,our approach is designed to not only consult,but also engage and collaborate
with your tourism industry stakeholders,visitors and community.
Recommendations informed by community input,along with project-specific market dynamics,create a
level of nuance and depth that differentiates us from the competition.We take the time to understand the
local context and then layer in regional and national trends and best practices as we build brands for you
and your stakeholders.
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We understand high net worth travelers
We are known and recognized around the world as one of the foremost authorities on luxury travel trends.
Since 2008,we have monitored and surveyed the wealthiest 1%of U.S.households and produced reports
on The Future of Luxury Travel to identify key luxury travel trends and their potential implications for
destinations,hotels and developers around the world.Our latest Future of Luxury report,published last
month,highlights key trends such as…
Cultural Adventures |58%of travelers want to get out of their comfort zone next year.
Conscious Consumption |One in four luxury travelers now value environmental and social
responsibility factors when choosing a vacation destination.
Reconnection |More luxury travelers are choosing to stay in an Airbnb or other home
sharing service while on vacation,growing from 23%in 2019 to 38%in 2022.
Rewilding |Resorts that are imaginatively designed around the local landscape,and that
strive to train and employ local people,will appeal to the growing community of purposeful
travelers.
Questing | Extreme adventure travel has swelled in popularity recently,alongside a steep
increase in interest for physical activity across the world’s most challenging landmarks and
environments.
We blend left and right brains -insights and magic
Our teams span brand strategists,creative directors,tourism developers,urban planners,futurists and
researchers.As the publishers of the Best Cities annual reports series (BestCities.org),Resonance has
been collecting and monitoring key performance data for cities across the U.S.since 2016.Our
innovative and proprietary Destination Assessment framework has been used by many of the world’s
leading cities and destinations and is widely regarded as one of the world’s most innovative destination
performance assessments.
We combine a data-based approach with creativity to develop a unique sense of place—or whatever you
choose to call it—a destination’s magic mix.It’s a crazy quilt of sensory software,warmth plus cool factor,
beauty,activity,vibe,sound,smell and landscape.It’s people,color and activity.It’s stitched from the texture
of history,hope for the future,new blood and good old times.Shaken,not stirred.Aged,or not.Alas,it is the
somewhat indefinable that creates the irresistible.
We hope this will give you some insights into who we are and how we think.To really decide if we are the
right fit,we’d love to speak with you and share some of our stories.
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About us
Resonance is a leading authority and advisor on tourism,
placemaking,and economic development for the world’s best
destinations,cities and communities.
Headquartered in Vancouver BC,with offices in New York,Montreal and Singapore,our team has advised
organizations,destinations,communities and governments in 20 states and more than 70 countries.We
provide leading public and private sector organizations with consumer research,strategic planning,
marketing strategy and branding to help communities and organizations realize their full potential.The
principals of Resonance have more than a half-century of city development and branding experience,and
have completed more than 100 visioning,strategy,planning,branding and marketing projects for a wide
variety of cities,destinations and communities.In all of our projects,we strive to foster community,
preserve cultural heritage,protect the environment and generate economic benefits for all those involved.
Our services include:
STRATEGY BRANDING COMMUNICATIONS
We create research,uncover trends,
reveal opportunities and shape the
future.
We articulate the identity,essence
and experience of place.
We enhance awareness with creative
concepts,content and media
management.
Market Research
Tourism Master Planning
Strategic Planning
Marketing Strategy
Brand Strategy
Experience Design
Brand Identity
Content Creation
Website Design
Website Development
Advertising
Our proprietary approach to benchmarking places and the World’s Best Cities is used by companies and
government agencies to help people design,develop and promote the best locations around the globe.
For more information,please visit:ResonanceCo.com
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Select Client List
Shaping The Future Of Places Around The World.
Resonance Consultancy specializes in research,strategy,branding and business planning for places and
organizations around the world.
From Australia to Austria,California to Canada,we have helped clients understand consumer trends,
engage their organizations,plan for the future and market their unique destination or product.Our
future-focused visions,brands,marketing strategies and business plans help our clients find their way
forward,provide plans for action and give officials,investors and consumers ways to engage and reasons
to believe.Our integrated process helps both public and private sector clients look ahead –ahead of the
curve,around the corner or a decade from now.
DESTINATIONS CITIES HOSPITALITY &RESORTS
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Case Studies
Costa Palmas
Costa Palmas brings the Sea
of Cortez to a new generation
of high-value explorers.
Date:2017-Present
Client:Irongate
Services:Marketing Strategy &
Branding
Reference:
Sarah Evans,Managing Director,
Sales &Marketing,Irongate
sevans@irongp.com
Resonance was engaged by Los Angeles-based developer Irongate to envision
and create the strategy,place branding and real estate marketing for Costa
Palmas,a 1,000-acre resort development on the Sea of Cortez in Baja Mexico.
Resonance began working with Irongate in 2015,when the project consisted of
a partially finished marina and two miles of calm,swimmable waterfront in a
spectacular environment of desert,mountains and ocean.
Drawing on our proprietary Future of Luxury Travel report—which studies the
wants and needs of America’s top 1%and 10%of travelers—our team got a
clear understanding of marketplace demographics and consumer appetite for
branded real estate and hotels in the area,as well as potential desired
experiences.Our brand platform articulated the personality and essence of the
development,which we positioned as an off-the-beaten-track Sea of Dreams
on Cabo’s East Cape.We then named the overall property:Costa Palmas
references historic appellations of the region,and the scale of the property
allowed us to take ownership of the waterfront and the appealing idea of a
‘coast.
With a Four Seasons resort now open and an Aman on the way,Costa Palmas
has effectively set the bar for the entire coast of the Sea of Cortez.Resonance
continues to aid Irongate in real estate marketing for the project,including the
creation of the developer’s first independently branded hotel,Casa Blake.
Big Sky
A path to the future of the
mountain resort experience.
Date:2022-Present
Client:Boyne Resorts -Big Sky
Resort
Services:Brand Strategy
Reference:
Yann Benjamin,VP Sales &
Marketing,
yann.benjamin@bigskyresort.com
Over the past decade,Montana’s Big Sky Resort has been upgrading its lift
infrastructure to become a leader in a competitive arena that includes Vail,
Aspen and other Rocky Mountain icons.Yet awareness and messaging lagged
behind the innovative infrastructure.The resort hired Resonance to partner
with them to define the Big Sky Resort brand and apply it consistently to attract
a wider,wealthier audience of visitors and skilled talent.
We analyzed the perception and reality of Big Sky Resort in the market,then
worked with stakeholders and ownership to workshop the brand’s values.
This led to personas that brought our target audiences to life,and experience
principles,which provide a framework for events and activities based on how
we want visitors and staff to feel at Big Sky Resort.Our brand personality
further articulated the brand,leading to a highly differentiated proposition
that shifted positioning and messaging from functional features to
emotional benefit.
The brand proposition successfully aligns short-term strategy with the resort’s
long-term vision,and is guiding the creation of films and messaging for the
resort’s 50th anniversary.
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The Aspen
Mountain
Residences
A classic Aspen proper ty
embarks on a new era.
Date:2021
Client:East West Hospitality
Services:Organizational Planning,
Marketing Strategy,Development
Strategy
Reference:
Theron Gore,CMO,East West
Hospitality |tgore@eastwest.com
East West Hospitality,a major operator of Rocky Mountain properties,
engaged Resonance to create a new name and identity for the former Hyatt
Residence Club Grand Aspen.
Resonance engaged with new and longtime owners of the suites and
discovered a desire to rejuvenate the Grand Aspen as one of Aspen’s most
valuable properties,then created a brand story that gave leadership a
framework to evaluate the owner's naming ideas.Ultimately the simple name,
The Aspen Mountain Residences,best reflected owners’pride in the property
and lent itself to a singular graphic treatment that effectively presented the
refreshed hospitality and residence club offering.
Destination
Canada
Defining The Future Of
Tourism Post-Covid
A global study to identify the
trends most likely to influence
the future of travel in order to
guide the development of a
new national tourism strategy.
Date:2021-Present
Client:Destination Canada
Services:Research &Tourism
Strategy
Reference:
Meaghan Ferrigno,
Chief Data and Analytics Officer,
Destination Canada
ferrigno.meaghan@destinationcanada.com
Resonance was hired to develop a shared framework and alignment on the
key trends most likely to impact the industry over the next one to three years
that Destination Canada could share with its partners to inform and guide
unified planning,policies and marketing strategies across the nation.
Long-term trends were also identified as part of the process to anticipate
adaptive measures for the industry moving forward.
Trends likely to affect the Canadian tourism industry were identified through
a review of existing relevant research,interviews with more than 30 key
national and international industry leaders,as well as consultations with all
provincial marketing organizations (PMOs),large destination marketing
organizations (DMOs),the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC)
and Destination Canada.
While more than 40 trends were identified,each trend was assessed based
on its impact on the tourism industry and its anticipated timeframe.This
framing allowed the scan to identify trends that are most likely to have the
greatest impact in the next one to three years.
Our assessment helped Destination Canada and its stakeholders evaluate
the impact of the pandemic on the industry as well as identify and
understand potential key trends and changes in both the industry and the
marketplace.The Big Shift Report produced by Resonance was adopted by
all PMOs and Resonance now updates it annually to inform and guide both
marketing strategies and product development across the country.
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Key Team Members
Chris Fair |President &CEO,Resonance
A futurist,marketing strategist and facilitator,Chris holds a
Masters degree in Studies of the Future and has married his
marketing expertise with futures methodologies to help a wide
variety of clients envision and create development strategies,plans
and brands that shape the future of places around the world.
Dianna Carr |Vice President,Storytelling
Dianna has particular expertise in distilling the narratives that
emerge from stakeholder workshops and community engagement,
and finding language that moves and rallies a wide range of
participants and stakeholders.Her keen curiosity and singular
prose style have found their way into every medium in the past two
decades.
Dominic Prevost |Group Creative Director
Dominic strives to constantly elevate the creative process,shaping
brand strategy,driving innovation,and leading a world-class
creative team to deliver top-tier concepts and execution.His work
has been repeatedly recognized in the industry’s major award
shows,including the Cannes Lions,One Show,and the Advertising
&Design Club of Canada.
Jeremie Feinblatt |Vice President,Strategy &Development
Jeremie leads Resonance’s Destination Strategy practice,with 18+
years of international experience advising leading brands and
destinations in their strategy,governance,experience development
and growth trajectory.Recent achievements include the
repositioning and destination alignment strategy for Brussels and
Houston,and developing the new identity and destination
management plan for Christchurch NZ.
Simona Forbes |Director,Client Services
Simona is as comfortable living in the details of a project as she is
thinking about the big picture strategy—aiming to be two steps
ahead of her clients.Having spent time on both sides of the
client-agency relationship,she approaches her clients’projects
with a collaborative team approach to build relationships that
result in best-in-class work.
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Approach
Our process will help uncover,articulate and define Vail’s unique brand in a manner that will resonate with
your audiences by analyzing its competitive profile,engaging with VLMD,and any necessary stakeholders
and community members with story-seeking exercises and questions that help you get to the heart of the
matter:What makes your destination different?What does it stand for?What unique stories can it tell?What
are its aspirations for the future?Informed by our international experience and research into global trends,
we then craft a brand strategy and brand identity to position Vail’s tourism offering so clearly that everyone
within your organization,community and around the region will love your story and tell it with pride.
PHASE 1 -DISCOVERY
1.1 KICK-OFF
The kick-off is a key component to the success of the project.This will be an opportunity to introduce
the Resonance /VLMD project team,align on the methodology and milestone dates,define the list of
stakeholders to be involved and share existing research and data that can support the analysis.
Specifically,it will take place through a meeting with the full project team to:
●Alignment on deliverables,timeline and milestones
●Introduce project team members and align on roles and responsibilities
●Identification of stakeholders and partners involved in the project
●Gather context,data and existing research
1.2 STRATEGIC REVIEW &SITE VISIT
Based on the existing research identified during the Kick-Off Phase,we will analyze and synthesize key
learnings from existing research and data.In particular,we will review existing insights on brand perception
and sentiment for the Town of Vail that are relevant to VLMD’s mandate.Additionally,we will assess Vail’s
competitive profile against the indicated competitors,leveraging existing proprietary Quality of Place
Benchmarking data Resonance has available against key attributes such as:Place,Product,People,
Prosperity,Programming,and Promotion
This initial phase will also be an opportunity for our team to conduct a 2-day site visit to experience the
destination as visitors and conduct an in-person visioning workshop.
1.3 THE VOICE OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS
Visioning Workshop:
Resonance will engage with key stakeholders by hosting a structured Visioning Workshop that consists of
different brainstorming activities to help reveal the group’s current view of the destination,in addition to
identifying existing and future challenges,and developing a vision for the brand.
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This hands-on session helps identify,catalog and articulate unique stories,differentiating the destination’s
characteristics and aspirations and helps participants to understand Vail through the lenses of place,
people,personality and programming in order to formulate a unique and compelling brand storyline for the
destination.
1.4 THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY
Resident/Community Survey:
In parallel,we will develop a survey to the community:They are the ambassadors of Vail and they chose
to work and live here.We’ll explore how they perceive and view the destination.The survey will provide a
quantitative approach to the engagement process and give us more detailed perspectives and insights
into the Vail experience.
Deliverables:
●Work plan and project roadmap
●Strategic Review of existing research and competitive assessment
●Survey development and management
●Visioning Workshop (on-site)
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PHASE 2 -BRAND STRATEGY
2.1 BRAND STRATEGY SCENARIOS -AN ITERATIVE AND COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
With the insights from the visioning workshop and survey,we will develop a strategic positioning platform
that conveys our strategic opportunities to position Vail as a desirable destination for guests.
The strategy will be presented through a strategic brand narrative to VLMD and the TOV if required,
through a board meeting for instance.Based on the feedback collected during the presentation,we will
amend and develop the validated brand strategy that will summarize the Vail story we want to tell.This
document will include:
Target Audience Persona:Overview,categories and personas (interests,needs,
frustrations,influences)
Brand Pillars:Represent the key cornerstones/truths for the brand.
Brand Personality:The overarching appropriate “tone”and “spirit”of the brand.
Brand Promise:A short,consumer-facing,phrase or paragraph
Brand Essence:Typically,it's expressed in two to three words,it defines what a brand
stands for,shapes the overall identity,and aims to invoke a particular thought,feeling,
or emotion in consumers.
Deliverables:
●Strategic Positioning Routes
●Strategic Brand Narrative
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PHASE 3 -BRAND IDENTITY
3.1 BRAND WORKSHOP
Once the Brand Strategy is approved,Resonance will engage with VLMD by hosting a structured
Brand Workshop (possible to conduct it virtually)that consists of different brainstorming activities meant
to define the brand’s tone of voice and help shape the Brand Identity development (color,textures,
typography,moodboards).
3.2 Brand Identity Development –Messaging Guidelines &Tone of Voice
Resonance will then develop messaging guidelines and example applications across key touchpoints (e.g.
advertising,internal and external communications,tone of voice principles and real-world examples).This
includes an overall manifesto,and key messaging attributes for our target audience.It is unclear yet
whether a tagline will be needed,but we plan to develop it in this phase.
3.2.1 Creative Development –Visual Design
Resonance will develop at least three visual design directions/options that will include logo,typography,
color palette and sample applications.These will be showcased in multiple collateral examples to get a
sense of the impact across various mediums.
3.2.2 Stakeholder Presentation
We will present the final Brand Identity Design System that is vetted by VLMD at a TOV board meeting to
ensure wide-spread buy-in and educate on our evolved brand.
3.3 Brand Book
Resonance will create a master Brand Book,which serves as a one-stop resource and guide to the brand
strategy and informs users about the correct graphic use of the identity—providing direction that ensures
consistency in the creation of marketing materials.
Chapter 1 -Brand Platform
●Brand Pillars,Personality and Promise
●Key Messages/Proof Points
●Brand Essence
Chapter 2 -Brand Elements
●Logo Design System
●Colors
●Typography (print and digital)
●Language (style,tone of voice,)
●Photography Style
Deliverables:
●Brand Workshop
●Brand Book
Chapter 3 -Brand Applications
●To be determined:3-4 applications
Chapter 4 –Contacts &Resources
●Information on resources for fonts and their
branding material,and key contacts for further
information about brand usage.
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Project Fees
Phase 1 -Discovery
1.1 Kick-Off Meeting (associated preparation &deliverables)$4,650
1.2 Strategic Review &Site Visit $15,775
1.3 Visioning Workshop (associated preparation &summary.)Workshop
meeting included in “Site Visit”
$3,750
1.4 Resident /Community Survey $6,475
Phase 1 Sub-Total $30,650
Phase 2 -Brand Strateg y
2.1 Brand Strategy Scenarios $13,700
2.2 Co-Creation Workshop $2,950
2.3 Brand Strategy Development /Presentation /Revisions -2 rounds $9,325
Phase 2 Sub-Total $25,975
Phase 3 -Brand Identity
3.1 Brand Workshop $5,225
3.2 Brand Identity Development /Presentation /Revisions -2 rounds $17,700
3.3 Brand Book Development -1 round of revisions $9,175
Phase 3 Sub-Total $32,100
Project Total $88,725
Fees exclude travel expenses and 3rd party vendor costs,if applicable.
Based on Resonance hourly fees of $350/hr for Consulting-Principal,$275/hr for Consulting-Associate and Creative Direction,$225/hr
for Account Direction,Creative Direction-Associate and Consulting-Associate and $175/hr for Copywriting,Account Management and
Graphic Design and $125/hr for Research and Programming.
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