Ashtabula County

Success Story

The Ashtabula County Visitors Bureau sought a forward-looking marketing plan that could elevate their already strong brand, align stakeholders, and guide future promotional campaigns beyond their current efforts. Through immersive stakeholder workshops, persona-driven research, and a full evaluation of visitor touchpoints, Bull Moose delivered a comprehensive strategy that enhances the visitor journey, modernizes digital experiences, empowers stakeholder collaboration, and supports long-term branding and placemaking initiatives across the county.

Need

The Ashtabula County Visitors Bureau already had a clear brand identity built around the wineries of the Grand River Valley supported by strong amenities like their covered bridges and Lake Erie. While the ACVB’s staff promotional efforts were already impactful, they wanted a marketing plan that guided their future promotional campaigns, could be adopted by stakeholders, and positioned them to be “next-level” among their peers in Ohio.

Approach

Bull Moose approached this need beginning with several days of stakeholder workshops and site tours of the municipalities and key amenities. Visitor Personas were developed through research, interviews, and tracking data. Current marketing efforts were evaluated in relation to these personas. The county’s comprehensive plan was also evaluated to understand resources and initiatives related to the destination’s tourism infrastructure.

Outcome

The above efforts yielded a strategy and plan focused around the Visitor Personas and addressing every stage of the Visitor’s Journey. The plan identified opportunities to improve the initial user experience (UX) with a website that was more visually appealing, easy to navigate, and aligned to their brand. A multi-functional mobile app integrated with the site helped make the the pre-visit and in-market UX seamless. A promotional marketing plan was structured for the DMO’s Executive Director to share with key stakeholders so they could mirror and/or amplify promotional campaigns. The plan also included a series of short, mid, and long-range efforts centered on defining the county’s Economic Brand, Community Brand, and Main Street Brands to aid in workforce development, livability, and localized placemaking efforts.