challenge
San Francisco Travel Association tapped Miles and Destination Analysts to help craft a new brand strategy for both the organization and the city, one of the most popular and innovative destinations in the world.
The city is always evolving, and SF Travel wanted to ensure that their brand could still represent San Francisco in all its complexity. The trick would be to create a contemporary brand that could capture the promise of San Francisco’s vibrant mix of sights, flavors, personalities, cultures and experiences, and be easily understood by a global audience.
solution
We kicked off the project with a multi-day destination immersion trip and a research plan that included group discussions with key tourism stakeholders as well as brand exploration surveys, online focus groups and interviews with leisure and meetings audiences.
Armed with the insights gained from this research and a thorough review of competitive destinations, we developed a new brand platform for SF Travel that included a brand description, positioning statement, brand voice document and logo featuring one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, the Golden Gate Bridge.
The new logo’s upward slanting words reflect both San Francisco’s forward-thinking, fast-moving reputation, as well as its famous hills. New typefaces and brand colors project a spirit of playfulness and confidence that embodies the brand voice.
results
In June 2019, following testing in 20 domestic and international markets, SF Travel launched the refreshed brand: a bold, confident (yet playful!) platform that celebrates individuality, innovation and radiant optimism—just like the city itself.
