TUCSON, Arizona (13 News) – Arizona is experiencing a new look, and we’re not talking about road work.
With the goal of bringing tourism and business to the state, the Arizona Office of Tourism and Governor Katie Hobbs have introduced a new brand.
The new campaign is called “Vibrant Arizona” and also brought with it a new logo for the state.
Designed to highlight the state’s diverse geography, it also presents six key pillars of the Arizona experience.
Majestic beauty, vibrant arts culture and experiences, abundant diversity, welcoming warmth, strong connections and groundbreaking ingenuity.
The redesign was made possible through a partnership between the tourism office, Heart and Soul Marketing, Welcome Strategies and Hopi and Isleta Pueblo artist Kevin Coochwytewa.
“When people in tourism do their jobs, people come to these events, have a great experience and keep coming back, and that strengthens our economy,” Hobbs said.
The redesign is the result of a year-long campaign that took the tourism office and its partners throughout Arizona.
We visit 57 cities and talk to more than 2,000 Arizona residents to hear from different communities what they think makes Arizona so special.
Ed Ackerley, a professor in the marketing department at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, believes reaching out to Arizonans is an essential step in re-orienting the state.
“Branding in and of itself is an important function of marketing because when a customer or a potential visitor sees the brand image, it triggers certain associations in their mind and they understand the bundle of values that are coming their way,” said Ackerley.
The new logo will be used by all state authorities.
Felipe Garcia, President and CEO of Visit Tucson, is extremely pleased that all areas have the same identity.
He said this will help visitors from other states see Arizona as a cohesive unit, helping tourism, which he said is critical to Southern Arizona.
“Tourism is hugely important to us in Tucson. It’s hugely important in southern Arizona,” Garcia said. “So we’re really excited that this is another step, another tool, but we still need to go out and tell our story.”
13 News spoke to the Arizona Department of Tourism after the event and they said the company spent about $700,000 on its year-long outreach effort.
But not a single cent came from Arizona state tax money; all the funds came from federal grants.
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