Caloundra is a vital residential and business hub, appealing to individuals and families seeking a peaceful place to call home. On top of that, it’s a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors with its stunning beaches, recreational activities, and cultural attractions. One of the instrumental tools in the Caloundra Master Plan vision was to create a placemaking brand for the region that secured Caloundra’s position as a naturally beautiful place to live, work, and visit.
- Brand Development
- Workshops & Engagment
- Campaign Concepting
- Strategy & Planning
- Design & Publications
WHY THEY CALLED US
Sunshine Coast Council were seeking a full brand redevelopment and activation strategy for ‘Downtown Caloundra’ so they reached out to Fresh PR & Marketing. We joined creative forces with our longstanding design partner, Horse & Water to deliver this project.
CHALLENGES
- A placemaking brand needs to engage with a diverse group of locals and visitors and as such it can be difficult to address everyone’s thoughts and ideas.
- The town needed to find a unique selling proposition to compete with other coastal Sunshine Coast centres.
- Caloundra’s current brand struggled due to inconsistent representation, lack of support from the business community, and residents resisting the vision for growth.
OBJECTIVES
- Encourage local businesses and community members in Caloundra to work together and promote the region within and beyond the Sunshine Coast area.
- Present Caloundra as an attractive place to ‘live, work, and play,’ with a target of creating 10,500 jobs, providing 7,800 dwellings, attracting visitors, and reaching a population of about 14,500 people in the Caloundra Centre by 2041.
- Develop a compelling identity that builds trust among both local and external investors, generating interest in the region’s potential.
WHAT WE DID
Brand Development
The first task when developing this brand was to clearly articulate the ‘why’– why develop a brand for Caloundra? To answer this, we connected with the true owners of the brand, the local residents and businesses, to understand what the ideal outcome was for them.
Stakeholder Engagement
To ensure we had diverse perspectives, we had a focused discussion with eight key stakeholders for the brand. By involving this key group in the process, we aimed to make them proud ambassadors who would fully embrace and promote the new Caloundra brand.
Campaign Concepting
As we developed the brand, we relied on previous research conducted for Caloundra to shape various brand elements, such as digital campaigns including EDMS and social media content. We also envisioned how the brand could be applied to different materials like posters, banners, and outdoor signage.
Strategy & Planning
In addition to the creative aspects, we developed a brand delivery strategy and communication plan. This plan included detailed recommendations and schedules for PR, advertising and marketing initiatives.
Design & Publications
We understood the importance of empowering local businesses and residents to proudly showcase their connection to Caloundra. To leverage this powerful community pride, we provided them with a consistent suite of brand tools (such as social media assets, t-shirts, signs and stickers) that aimed to instil a sense of belonging and pride in the region.
RESULTS
The brand was handed to the Caloundra business community through an exciting launch event and has since been adopted by a number of groups and individuals within Caloundra.
A month after the launch, the Caloundra brand gained further recognition for its use in a winning application for Queensland Top Tourism Town 2023.
More Case Studies
