INDUSTRY
Tourism/Destination
SERVICE
Brand Development
Social Media
Brand development and year-round promotion celebrating Canandaigua as the winter capital of the Finger Lakes
One wintery day in Upstate New York, a small group came together to discuss a big idea – to position Canandaigua, NY, as the winter capital of the Finger Lakes. The initiative would be an ecosystem connector, a year-round promotional campaign focused on celebrating winter in Canandaigua, NY. Winter in Canandaigua would encourage tourism and economic development in the small but special town during the traditionally quieter winter months.
Agency 29 leaped on board to provide marketing expertise to the Winter in Canandaigua project initiatives, including creating the Finger Lakes Winter Carnival website and developing brand assets. We created brand identities, two websites, and promotional material and started managing multiple social media platforms.
In addition to positioning Canandaigua as the winter capital of the Finger Lakes, specific outcomes for the initiative included, but were not limited to:
- Increased overnight stays from December through May
- Increased revenue at area restaurants and craft beverage destinations
- Increased visitor frequency with summer tourists returning in winter months
- Better attraction points for new development with year-round community engagement
- Improved quality of life for residents and tourists during the winter months
The Challenge
The Winter in Canandaigua project brings together many stakeholders from Canandaigua and the surrounding community. In addition to coordinating with a large pool of regional experts, our team developed the brand visuals, guidelines, websites, and social presence from the ground up.
The project, from ideation to implementation, required a quick turnaround. Conceptualization began in early December 2021; the inaugural event, the Finger Lakes Winter Carnival, was held in March 2022.
Year 1 data from March 2022
vendors over three days at the inaugural Finger Lakes Winter Carnival
tickets sold to the inaugural Finger Lakes Winter Carnival
donated to the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes
impressions with organic promotion on Facebook
impressions with organic promotion on Instagram
How We Did It
With the overarching goals in mind and thorough feedback from the regional committee of collaborators, Agency29 created a visual brand, including a logo, logomarks, and guidelines for Winter in Canandaigua. From there, we developed two websites: one for the brand Winter in Canandaigua and the second for the inaugural Finger Lakes Winter Carnival event.
We created visual assets for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to ensure a cohesive brand presence on each platform.
Agency 29 also supported MRB Group in an application to New York State Empire State Development for the 2023 Market NY grant. The Winter in Canandaigua initiative was awarded the full amount requested in the application.
To promote the Finger Lakes Winter Carnival, we applied ourselves to organic social to drive traffic to the Finger Lakes website and events.
About the Client:
Winter in Canandaigua is an economic initiative driven by local business leaders in and around Canandaigua, NY. The brand incorporates year-round promotions celebrating winter in Canandaigua to encourage tourism in the region during the traditionally quieter winter months.
The Inaugural Finger Lakes Winter Carnival was held on March 18th-20th, 2021. The carnival celebrated winter and our region’s unique appeals, including its robust local shops, food, and beverage offerings. The community gathered for a host of family-friendly activities and a chance to meet small business owners from the entire Finger Lakes region, including craft makers, chefs, winemakers, and craft beverage innovators.
