An exciting new campaign puts a vibrant region on the map
Quad Cities Chamber and Visit Quad Cities have launched a bold new brand and multi-platform advertising campaign designed to generate awareness, attract talent, investment, visitation, and more community pride.
"QC, That's Where!" is designed to put the region firmly on the map. It confronts where QC is head-on with humor and facts that cut through the clutter and get the attention of potential visitors, investors, and residents.
QC, That’s Where the Midwest meets the Mississippi River, where a family of communities is home to downtown riverfronts and down to earth, skilled people, home-grown startups and global headquarters.
“Driving a unified and all-encompassing brand messaging strategy that focuses on identity, perception, and position is vitally important to the Quad Cities future,” said Dave Herrell, President and CEO, Visit Quad Cities. “On behalf of our Board of Directors and team, we are thrilled about the direction of where this campaign can collectively take us as we compete for economic recovery and resurgence.”
“QC, That’s Where! will drive the Chamber’s marketing efforts to grow the Quad Cities’ economy and population,” said Paul Rumler, President and CEO, Quad Cities Chamber. “This brand will enable the Chamber and Visit Quad Cities to share a consistent message to businesses, visitors, residents, and potential newcomers about why QC is where they should be. QC, That’s Where! will leverage significant investments that are accelerating QC as a great place, including our downtowns and neighborhoods; schools, colleges and universities; cultural amenities; and many new and expanded businesses. We’re thankful to the members of the brand leadership task force, along with our Board of Directors and investors, for helping guide this effort.”
Visit Quad Cities and the Quad Cities Chamber engaged the services of Resonance Consultancy, a leading advisor in tourism, place strategy and branding, economic and real estate development, to develop the QC Regional Brand.
The campaign was chosen following the development of a tourism master plan, extensive stakeholder engagement within the communities, and a robust economic development analysis that outlined the region's challenges and opportunities.
From that research, Resonance tested three campaigns through local focus groups and online surveys to gather opinions on which campaign resonated for the region.
The chosen campaign answers the question "QC, That's Where?" with an ever-changing variety of facts and feel-good aspects of the region. Answers run the gamut from stats about the number of languages spoken at area schools or the number of beers on the Ale Trail to economic rankings, number of Fortune 500 companies, and regional housing affordability.
Examples include:
- QC, That's Where you’ll find the 3rd most diversified economy.
- QC, That's Where 150 Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, including the mighty John Deere, call home.
- QC, That's Where the PGA TOUR comes to play.
The formula can even be changed around when it suits the point that is being made, i.e. Where's a top 10 town for Millennials to live? QC, That's Where!
Visit Quad Cities and Quad Cities Chamber have also launched a website for the new regional brand, QCThatsWhere.com. The website is designed for various users, including those interested in opening a business here, visiting here, relocating here, and of course for those who are already Quad Citizens.
Additionally, the website has a "Share the Love" section where local businesses, organizations and residents can access a tool kit along with brand guidelines to use the new QC Regional Brand themselves. The tool kit includes logos, creative direction and sample messaging that can be used or customized for their specific use. There are also logos for each of the 18 cities and towns in the QC bi-state region to use.
Visit Quad Cities and Quad Cities Chamber have engaged residents and companies alike to provide their answers to the question QC, That's Where? by asking them for more specific or personal thoughts about where QC is. A section on the website "Quad Citizens Call Home" allows locals to share their QC, That's Where, through an online form. The two organizations will use these thoughts for future use in campaigns.
The multi-platform campaign starts with a focus on businesses considering relocations to the area; concurrently, locals will be engaged with a launch in October 2021. QCThatsWhere.com and the hashtag #QCThatsWhere will be foundational to the campaign.
The QC is the heart of the Midwest, a proud, forward-thinking family of communities connected by one of the world's most renowned rivers, the Mississippi River.
The region attracts returners and explorers, investors and entrepreneurs because it offers the well-being and comforts of the accessible, the homegrown and the local, combined with an inventive imagination that embraces arts, entrepreneurship, and global aspirations.
QC offers original ways to experience one of the world's great waterways and an open-minded network and drive that make the region a hub of ambition for a new generation.
People love QC because they want to be part of its roots and its reach - to live in a place that's as genuine as it is quirky, a region where they can start something and make a difference, and where they enjoy the well-being of an authentic community and the freedom of connection to the world.
About Quad Cities Chamber
The Quad Cities Chamber facilitates business growth to help create a prosperous regional economy where all can thrive. Its work is focused in three strategic areas: business and economic growth; placemaking; and talent attraction and development. Learn more about the Chamber at QuadCitiesChamber.com.
About Visit Quad Cities
Founded in 1990, Visit Quad Cities is the official Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMMO) for the region. Visit Quad Cities is a private, 501(c)(6) non-profit engine charged with driving economic opportunity through tourism, building our authentic brand, telling & selling the Quad Cities story, and enhancing Quad Citizens' quality of life.
About Resonance
Resonance is a global leader in tourism, economic development, place strategy, place branding, and real estate development with offices located in New York and Vancouver. Resonance has successfully produced Tourism Strategy work for Travel Portland; Tourism Vancouver; Visit Tulsa; Tourism Montreal; Tourism Calgary; Destination Cleveland; Cincinnati USA; Bellevue, Washington; Snohomish County, Washington; and many others. Resonance is currently engaged in work with Los Angeles, Calif., Metro Tucson, Ariz., Richmond, Va., and San Luis Obispo County, Calif.