As nature beckons all to venture into the untamed, Hocking Hills, OH, lures visitors to revel in a verdant playground deep into the peaceful Appalachian foothills. Here, amid rising ridges, plunging hollows, and flowing streams that cascade into rushing waterfalls, adventurers discover rugged trails winding through rolling topography, shaded by towering forests of beech trees and eastern hemlock. Caves carved into the hillside appear lifted from another time and place, while nearby communities showcase the creativity of local artsits while and shine a spotlight on the pioneers who came before. This is the definitive setting for a memorable, Southeastern getaway.
In 2024, the Hocking Hills Tourism Association recognized its existing brand needed a refresh - having been in place for more than 15 years - to meet evolving market challenges and enhance community engagement. McDaniels Marketing set out to refine the association's brand positioning and, in doing so, increase the visibility of the brand, appeal to a targeted audience, and align with the community's expectations of how much greater this place could be.
Hocking Hills is more than just an outdoor destination- it's a diverse community teeming with life and a culture built on an amazing past and a bright future. McD set out to communicate the region's authentic, uncommon benefits and develop a cohesive brand that would position Hocking Hills as a world-class, year-round destination for adventure and leisure. Using a visitor intercept survey, the McD team learned more about visitors' perceptions of Hocking Hills, as well as strengths and weaknesses with the existing brand. From there, the McD team developed a SWOT analysis that pinpointed the region's strengths and subsequently led the creative team to identify opportunities for leveraging those features and marketing them to a broad audience of outdoor enthusiasts.
Using this information, the McD Creatives collaborated with Hocking Hills stakeholders to develop a cohesive visual identity system that could accommodate logos for both Hocking Hills and the City of Logan. Evoking the spirit of national or state park branding, the logo family naturally evolved from the existing branding and accurately summarized the most spectacular features of the area - majestic bluffs, lush forests, flowing streams and waterfalls - in earthy, natural tones, visually communicating the natural wonder of Hocking Hills. The team also developed a tagline that summed up the overall Hocking Hills experience: Welcome to Wonder.
Shortly after the brand was approved by the stakeholders, McD created variations of the logo, selected brand typefaces, developed a versatile color palette, and provided suggestions for other patterns and shapes that could be used in communication tools and tactics. All these elements were then compiled in a custom Brand Standards Guide.
