Live It, Love It, and Park It in Casa Grande
The City of Casa Grande recently embarked on an initiative to create a Lifestyle brand that captured the essence of this growing community; one that has recently announced investments from companies like Lucid Motors (an electric vehicle manufacturer), Attesa Motorsports (a professional racing venue), and Dreamport Villages (a 1,500-acre extreme sport amusement park). With an interest in convening as many community stakeholders as possible, the City partnered with the Greater Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce, Local First AZ Rural Development Council, and the Arizona Office of Tourism to ensure an outcome that was representative of the City, its residents, its businesses, and Casa Grande’s place in Arizona as a whole.
Inspired by the pride and passion of local young families along with booming economic development conditions conveyed by the City, a theme quickly arose around the number of community parks, recreation programs, industrial parks, and short commute discussed repeatedly in focus groups convened for the project:
“Casa Grande is a city on the cusp of becoming one of the most bustling economies in Arizona. Strategically located at the intersection of I-8 and I-10, and just a short drive to metro-Phoenix amenities, Casa Grande buzzes with a level of activity that both drives business development and inspires community engagement.
With an array of parks that include world-class instructional programs at Grande Sports World, the pristine softball diamonds at Paul Mason Sportsplex, the Ed Hooper Rodeo Grounds, a brand new community recreation center, a growing airpark, and an in-demand industrial park, Casa Grande has earned its reputation as Arizona’s favorite place to Park It.”
Designs used courtesy of: Dog Cat Mouse Media LLC
The proposed campaign includes a “passport” that visitors can pick up at the Chamber and use to collect stamps from various local attractions, businesses and parks with a variety of messages that could include “Park It!,” “Love It!,” “Live It!” or “Shop It!”
“This was a notable branding project in rural Arizona, given that Casa Grande was willing to stretch beyond the usual boundaries of branding and try something completely different and unique,” said Liza Noland, branding consultant and Director of Rural Programs for the Local First AZ Rural Development Council. “Many of our rural communities are struggling to develop an identity that captures the true heart of their community in a way that can be effectively and authentically marketed. Through the Arizona Office of Tourism Rural Co-Op program, more communities can participate on a nationwide scale in communicating their value propositions to those that may be interested in moving families or businesses into rural cities or towns.”
The Arizona Office of Tourism (AoT) Rural Co-Op is a program designed specifically for rural destination marketing organizations (DMOs), regional partnerships, statewide tourism associations and tribal entities aimed at driving visitation to Arizona's rural and tribal destinations. By helping rural communities with the costs of branding, media planning, and advertising, AoT is helping to boost rural economies by trying to capture even a small portion of the billions of dollars Arizonans spend on weekend getaways to California.
Up next, the City of Casa Grande will finalize the branding campaign and begin promotion in areas of community development, economic development, and tourism. If you are interested in learning more about the Casa Grande community, check out their Community Profile located at RuralAZ.com.