What is Destination Marketing?
At MDR, our branding and marketing goes way beyond products and services. In fact, some of our best work focuses on entire cities. That’s what destination marketing is all about: building compelling brands that capture each destination’s unique personality, supported by strategic marketing that inspires real-life travel decisions.
THE CLIENT:
The City of Kemah & Kemah Community Development Corporation
Before Team MDR stepped in, Kemah’s visitor brand was undefined and full of untapped potential. We saw an opportunity to create a unique and unified brand image with an online experience to match — and a positioning that would better serve prospective visitors seeking information.
The Challenge:
Cutting through the clutter
Kemah was facing an identity crisis—plain and simple. Travelers wanted to discover more about the waterfront city, and locals were eager to show off its charm. Yet, the information available was scattered. The website had some relevant content but lacked consistency and was often outdated. Usability, performance, and SEO needed improvement and were compounded by confusing localized websites and social pages. While rooted in good intention, this content just added to the branding confusion, with old logos, color schemes, and taglines lingering from past campaigns. Kemah needed a cohesive brand update and an attractive website to excite new visitors and highlight all the fun beyond the famous Boardwalk.
That leads us to the second pivotal challenge—overcoming the perception that Kemah was solely about the Boardwalk. Enter the Kemah Community Development Corporation, presenting MDR with distinct needs from local business owners. With all this in mind, the MDR team created a tailored destination marketing campaign in 2021, aimed at shaping strategy and revitalizing the city of Kemah’s brand identity.
The Objective:
The primary aim was to boost visitor numbers in Kemah, encouraging longer stays to increase Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) revenue. To achieve this, we established some clear, specific objectives:
GET FOCUSED – Create a visually appealing, visitor-focused brand identity that truly reflects Kemah’s essence and resonates with potential visitors.
IGNITE EXCITEMENT – Generate awareness and enthusiasm among travelers, highlighting Kemah’s diverse activities and businesses beyond the Boardwalk.
EXPAND REACH – Implement a comprehensive media strategy to extend our influence and engagement across broader audiences, both locally and nationally.
The Big Idea:
Strategy first, then tactics.
First, we developed a Marketing Action Plan (MAP)—a tailored guide for brand development that uncovers needs and sets goals. Kemah’s MAP highlighted key issues: brand disarray, poor website performance, and inactive social engagement. With the MAP as our foundation, we embraced a strategy-first approach and then implemented targeted tactics.
Following extensive collaboration with the Kemah team—including city council members, a Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureaus (CVB) marketing manager, and Kemah Community Development Corporation representatives—a clear consensus emerged. It was time for a brand overhaul, and the crown jewel would be a new website. This brand would need to tap into the city’s civic pride, the fun and unique identity of Kemah, and pay homage to its rich history.
A Destination Marketing Rebrand For “All Kinds”
In keeping with Kemah’s roots—a unique city home to dozens of marinas and the third-largest fleet of recreational boats in America—MDR’s creative team envisioned an adaptation of the international nautical flag system. The result was a series of interchangeable “K logos” resembling nautical flags, embodying the city’s maritime charm and featuring its diverse attractions.
Each “tile” depicting an idea or activity—all blended into a thoughtful logo. A sailboat represents boating; a martini glass highlights Kemah’s vibrant nightlife in the Lighthouse District; and a beagle indicates pet-friendly businesses. With 35 distinct icons, the graphic elements play up the many noteworthy activities and destinations across Kemah.
This design process, and the idea that Kemah welcomes all walks of life, led MDR to also develop key messaging: “All Kinds of Fun. Fun for All Kinds.”
With a new brand approved, it was time to introduce it to the world…wide web, that is. MDR launched DiscoverKemah.com with fresh design elements and a user-friendly WordPress framework. The new website cemented Kemah’s revived identity and provided travelers a snapshot of what Kemah has to offer.
The logo dynamically flashes and rotates through its various K designs on the website’s homepage, showcasing its different versions and reinforcing Kemah’s diverse offerings.
Since Kemah had essentially zero organic social presence, MDR set out to button up their Facebook and Instagram platforms, establishing a consistent tone and visual identity. Our approach focused on driving engagement through interactive content, user-generated posts, and strategic hashtags. Monthly content plans and data-driven insights keep things effective and relevant, strengthening Kemah’s connection with its audience.
Why it works:
It’s rooted in history and culture. It’s diverse and inclusive. It’s fun and energetic. It captures Kemah’s variety of offerings, kindness and hospitality. It has legs and longevity, along with versatile merch opportunities. It just makes you smile.
All Kinds of Fun. Fun for All Kinds.
This updated brand offers a fun, modern feel while preserving the history of Kemah. More importantly, it communicates that while Kemah has deep maritime roots, there’s so much more to the city.
In addition to the digital rebrand, the new look made its way across the town in the form of printed visitor’s guides, pole banners, and two murals—an MDR-branded mural was even painted by the mayor at that time and is still on display in the City’s mural park.
The Results:
Our strategic enhancements significantly improved SEO rankings, boosting Kemah’s online visibility and engagement. In the Summer of 2022, MDR launched an SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and Paid Social Media campaign to 1) increase traffic and visibility for the new website and 2) to boost HOT revenue beyond projected figures.
Running during peak travel season, the SEM campaign garnered an astounding CTR (click-through rate) of 6.6%—45% higher than industry standards. Even more impressive, the CPC (cost-per-click) was $0.66—57% lower than industry standards. Paid social metrics were equally impressive, delivering over 6 million impressions, 28,000 website clicks, and 66,000 interactions—highlighting a strong engagement with the campaign and a large volume of traffic to the site.
Perhaps the most incredible metric was the increase in HOT revenue. Numbers rose from $334,885 in FY 2021 to $655,985 in FY 2022—a 96% increase year-over-year. This was achieved with only a $30,000 budget for digital advertising. The increase in HOT revenue clearly demonstrates a direct correlation between strategic digital marketing efforts and outcomes.
MDR has also been recognized for the integrated strategy and design behind the campaign, winning city and district-level gold awards from the American Advertising Federation (AAF).
Request for Partnership:
Kemah’s branding story has quite an arc—from scattered and inconsistent to an award-winning example of destination marketing. This project presented a slew of challenges, but when you have a driven team of professional marketers and a passionate client who’s willing to listen, anything is possible.
If you’re interested in a brand refresh, or simply looking to attract more visitors to your city or region, reach out and learn about all the big things MDR can accomplish for you.