Why this case study may be relevant to you

This project demonstrates Bull Moose Marketing’s ability to strategize and create a multichannel approach to helping economic development authorities promote key projects in their communities.
From concept to completion, we were able to help the Venango County Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) turn their idea into a brand identity that told the compelling story of the rich, historic past that was paving the economic future for Oil City. To capture this story, Bull Moose Marketing created a new tagline and logo. When showcased on a new, comprehensive website, the new identity of 100 Seneca at Cornplanter Square supported brand activation efforts that promoted the opening of this renovated, mixed-use commercial space.

Situational Analysis

The Venango County Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) wanted to restore 100 Seneca at Cornplanter Square, a historic monument to their area’s lucrative past. Their goal for this acquisition was clear: to transform this space into a thriving commercial space for future generations to enjoy.

Over the course of history, 100 Seneca at Cornplanter Square has gone by many names. It was essential to rename the building in a way that would address brand confusion and create alignment with the community once again. VCEDA understood that renaming the building needed to be done with a high level of intentionality and cultural sensitivity, thus arriving at 100 Seneca at Cornplanter Square.

Research on 100 Seneca’s history and similar restoration projects revealed that VCEDA needed to create a renewed brand identity for the building and implement a multimedia strategy to gain awareness and collect leads for future tenants. By determining that 100 Seneca needed to gain community awareness about its status as a historical-monument-turned-commercial-space, VCEDA was able to take advantage of this unique opportunity in order to create a sought-after local destination.

Challenges

Develop a robust approach to revitalize 100 Seneca’s online presence to:

  • Create brand clarity after several previous name changes
  • Build community awareness
  • Collect leads for future tenants
  • Secure an anchor tenant within one year to retain grant funding

 

Objectives

  • Building brand presence to gain community awareness
  • Create an Optimized Website
  • Launch Social Media Channels and Develop Organic Presence
  • Grow Targeted Awareness Through Paid Channels

Strategic Approach

  • Build brand presence with a new name, look and feel to highlight a regal past and vibrant future
  • Create a new website to serve as a digital headquarters for all information related to the project and collect leads
  • Share organic content to promote community buy-in and share resources for potential tenants to explore
  • Expand reach to nearby markets and grow awareness among relevant audiences in major regional markets through the use of paid content
  • Shoot state-of-the-art drone footage to highlight the historical building
  • Launch a general awareness campaign
  • Test a preliminary floor plan concept during a second campaign

Key Messages

Let Your Business Take Its Place in History:

Whether you are a small business owner with a dream, or a large company needing space to grow, 100 Seneca at Cornplanter Square in Oil City welcomes you.

  • The Oil City Advantage: Oil City is a welcoming destination that’s excited about investing in the community, starting new programs and seeing entrepreneurs and new businesses succeed.
  • Transform With the Times: 100 Seneca at Cornplanter Square is a historic building in the midst of a transformation. New businesses can complete this evolution by turning it into a creative space that is innovative with new offerings for the community.
  • Curiosity About the Future: Despite being in disuse for over two decades, the community is still hopeful and curious about the future of this historic landmark. This curiosity has led VCEDA to invest the resources needed to revitalize the area with new business.
  • Create a New Legacy: Opening up shop in 100 Seneca at Cornplanter Square is an opportunity for businesses of all sizes to create a new legacy in a space that has served the community since 1926.
  • Affordability Meets Creativity: 100 Seneca is a blank slate for businesses to make their mark on. Thanks to the affordable cost of living in Oil City, PA, tenants have free reign to develop a unique space for their organization.
  • Small Town, Big Opportunity: Oil City rose to prominence during the development of the petroleum industry. Over the years, Oil City has stayed true to its small town roots while offering big opportunities to businesses who choose to make places like 100 Seneca at Cornplanter Square their base.

Targeting Method

The goal was to identify and target business owners and entrepreneurs in the commercial, retail and restaurant space in and around Oil City, as well as the larger metropolitan areas close by.

The campaign focused on trends of businesses and residents leaving cities and flocking to rural areas because of COVID-19, as well as an influx of federal and state grant funding available, to identify these target markets as suitable tenants.

Results to date

“The Bull Moose Marketing team was fantastic to work with, they delivered professional web development and marketing at a great price, with local staff and support. Most importantly, the products they delivered are sustainable. Bull Moose staff educated us on how to utilize the applications they developed and we are still using them today, even though our contract with Bull Moose has ended.”

Emily Lewis
Executive Director, Venango County Economic Development Authority

Platforms for advertising:

  • Facebook

Audience targeting:

Bull Moose Marketing spearheaded two campaigns for 100 Seneca at Cornplanter Square: 1) a general awareness campaign promoting the new opportunities for businesses and 2) a campaign that targeted restaurants that were a good fit to move into the building and create an incubator-style space with mixed retail & food/bev.

Across both of these campaigns, Bull Moose Marketing used the same targeting but different messaging to engage the audience:

  • Ages 30-64
  • Living within +25 miles of Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Youngstown (OH), +50 miles Oil City
  • Interests match: small business, entrepreneurship or economic development
  • Extremely low budget of $250

KPIs:

  • CPC was monitored to maximize awareness exposure and engagement for these campaigns to be as efficient as possible on a low budget
    Impressions:
  • CTR was tracked to see how many individuals clicked onto the website from impressions
  • Comments highlighted audience engagement and general PR information we gathered from responses
  • Post Reactions allowed Bull Moose Marketing to monitor audience engagement and general PR information we gathered from audience reactions to posts
  • Post Saves showed user intent to revisit later and explore the funding/application forms
  • Shares demonstrated audience engagement and allowed Bull Moose Marketing to gather PR information from responses
  • ThruPlays allowed Bull Moose Marketing to track the number of people that watched the video all the way until the end, or for a minimum of 15 seconds

Awareness Campaign Messaging:

  • A unique opportunity to take your place in a historic former bank that’s been renovated into a mixed-use facility for long-term commercial and retail tenants.
  • Blank canvas with grant funding opportunities for custom renovations to cater to any design or style and fit any future needs.
  • Highly-visible commercial property with a range of floor plans, financial incentives and architectural character in a prime, easy-to-access location within the city’s downtown historic district.

Reporting for the Awareness Campaign:

  • 938 clicks to the website

  • 38,506 impressions

  • CPC of only $0.27

  • CTR 9.20%

  • 153 post reactions

  • 32 comments

  • 8 saves

  • 62 shares

  • 3,176 ThruPlays of video

Restaurant Campaign Messaging:

  • A unique opportunity to take your place in a historic building that’s being renovated into a shared-use commercial kitchen and restaurant incubator space.
  • Blank canvas with grant funding opportunities for custom renovations to cater to any design or style and fit any future needs.
  • Financial incentives to cut down on start-up costs, mitigate risk and enjoy high-visibility space.
  • Offering centrally-located retail kiosks, an open-concept dining area on the first floor and second floor balcony, shared commercial kitchen space, ample storage and support space, basement access for freezer and refrigeration equipment and loading/unloading access.

Reporting for the Restaurant Campaign:

  • 883 clicks to the website

  • 47,685 impressions

  • CPC of only $0.28

  • CTR 6.79%

  • 98 post reactions

  • 19 comments

  • 4 saves

  • 39 shares

  • 3,146 ThruPlays of video

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