LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which  distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming.  (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

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Daily Sitka Sentinel

Branding Expert Outlines Plan to Lure Visitors

By TOM HESSE
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Sitka’s branding effort got underway this week with a warning from the consultant John Kelsh: committees can kill.
    “This is why you never see statues of committees in public parks,” Kelsh said.
    Kelsh is the cofounder of a Seattle company called Great Destination Strategies, which the Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau and the City of Sitka have chosen to help develop a lasting image for Sitka. The process, called branding, is to stick Sitka with an identity that can help sell the town to tourists.

John Kelsh speaks at Wednesday's Chamber of Commerce luncheon. (Sentinel Photo)


    Kelsh spoke Wednesday at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon, and detailed the process required to develop a strong brand for Sitka. In June 2013, the Sitka Assembly voted 5-1 to allocate $300,000 from the Commercial Passenger Excise Tax fund for the branding and signage project.
    “It’s about defining an identity for yourself that is unique and specific,” Kelsh said, adding that a specific brand isn’t going to please everybody.
    Kelsh said one-size fits all advertising for towns is no longer effective, so in Sitka’s efforts to develop a brand, it needs to avoid trying to please every industry and attraction in town. To illustrate his point, Kelsh broke down how advertising has changed.
    “The world has gotten a lot crazier. When I was doing this talk years ago people were getting up to 1,500 messages a day ... and now it’s up to about 5,000,” he said.
    Those looking to advertise by traditional means, like print or radio, are “wasting their money,” Kelsh said. Instead, Kelsh advises cities to push their message online and through public relations with one, concise message that stands apart from those of other towns.
    “If you write copy and it can apply to another destination, then you’re wasting your time,” Kelsh said.
    The idea is to find a peg for Sitka similar to how gambling and nightlife are synonymous with Las Vegas. Kelsh went over ads he saw in the in-flight magazine on his trip up to Sitka and pointed out the problems he found with them.
    Showing an ad for Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, Kelsh criticized the use of the phrase “something for everyone.”
    “It tells you no reason why you want to be there,” Kelsh said.
    Nearly every town in Southeast can make claims to salmon fishing, friendly atmospheres and outdoor recreation, which is why towns should stay away from using that as their peg.    
    “Did you know ‘outdoor recreation’ is the most overused term in advertising?” Kelsh said.
    “The narrower the focus, the more valuable that brand is and the easier it is to build that brand,” Kelsh said.
    Kelsh’s visit this week is part fact-finding and part informational. This week kicks off a six-month process in the campaign to build Sitka’s brand. A 12-member committee will carry the effort, and Kelsh said it will be important for that committee to find leadership and avoid “watering down” the message in an attempt to please everyone.
    Once the brand is built, then all of Sitka will benefit not just the focus of the ad campaign, Kelsh said. He said the focus of the brand, which he called “the lure,” is meant to draw initial attention to Sitka. He explained that his company’s research shows that tourists spend only a fraction of their dollars on the thing that brought them to town.
    “What people don’t understand is people only spend 20 percent of their money on the lure,” Kelsh said.
    Right now Kelsh and his team are meeting with “stakeholders,” evaluating Sitka’s “assets” and getting a feel for the town and the tourism industry. This includes research on Sitka, Sitka’s competitors, townspeople and potential tourists. Right now there is an online survey available at sitkabrand.weebly.com where anyone can comment on the process.
    Once the brand is developed, Great Destination Strategies will help local businesses with “brand coaching workshops” so that a consistent message is coming out of Sitka. Another piece of the project is a “wayfinding initiative” to improve signs and walking routes to make Sitka easier to navigate for tourists.
    Other towns that Great Destination Strategies has branded include Angels Camp and Russian River in California and Gulf Shores in Alabama.
    Kelsh and his team will make several trips to Sitka to share their data with the branding committee. Until then, Kelsh said, it’s up to the stakeholders involved to focus on what Sitka can offer that no one else can and avoid letting politics derail the process.
    “This is not about timidity,” Kelsh said.

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.

50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.

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