Blog
Will your brand be thriving in five years?
While everyone else is reflecting on 2017 or predicting trends for 2018, let’s take a moment and think about something more important. How healthy will your brand be in two years? What about five years? Now is the time to think about it and steer the ship in the right...
Lessons from 2017
Never stop learning. That has been a guiding principle for me all of my life. There will never be a year when I am not taught or reminded about a valuable lesson. Learning a lesson is more valuable, and often more humbling, than learning facts from a book. Here are...
How can we talk about Virginia’s economy without mentioning tourism?
I recently read this month’s issue of a statewide magazine focused on the business community here in Virginia. This month features a look at the economic climate throughout the commonwealth. They asked five CPAs from different regions a series of questions about the...
Quit Wasting Money
"Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." I don't know precisely when John Wanamaker uttered this famous quote. He built his retail empire in the late 1800s so he said it long before terms like content...
Insights about Building Strong Community and Destination Brands
Last week I had the pleasure of being in the beautiful central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia at Massanutten Resort, where I was the featured speaker at the Shenandoah Valley Partnership's Fall Forum. The partnership's efforts are mostly focused on economic...
Craft Beer – Expectation or Differentiator?
This morning I read a news story about yet another small community getting its first local craft brewery. Visitors definitely enjoy trying local beer just as they enjoy sampling local cuisine. It’s exciting to see the small brewpub scene thrive. It has exploded in...
Don’t inadvertently re-brand
Who would inadvertently re-brand? It sounds a little crazy when you put it in those terms but it occurs a lot. It happens because even seasoned professionals sometimes don’t have a true understanding of the value of a destination’s brand or how advertising should work...
Top reasons to not worry about branding your destination.
We think that every destination should have a solid, unique and comprehensive brand strategy to steer their marketing and public relations. Some may think the branding process is just for larger communities. Ironically, the smaller ones need the direction and...
The Rise of Relevant Ads
Advertising has changed dramatically over the 25 years that I have been in the business — the tactics available to marketers, the amount of data behind every strategy, the media options, the blurring of lines between advertising and other forms of communication...
Rules for Destination Marketing Success
Albert Einstein once said, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Of course, he only worked in theoretical physics not marketing. I wish that marketing, especially tourism marketing, were simple. But every destination is unique....
540.774.9932
6 Walnut Avenue • Vinton, Virginia 24179
© Mikula-Harris