Behind the County's rebrand
Travel Bureau seeks to ‘recharge’ visitors’ impressions
After last month’s edition mentioned Emery County’s rebrand, the County’s Director of Travel, Tourism, Museums, and Archives, AnnDee Mead, reached out to clarify how the rebrand came to be. The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
KENNY FALLON JR.: What inspired the change in County branding, from “The Swell” to “Life Energized”?
ANNDEE MEAD: There was a lot of sentiment that came out during the 2022 County Commission election that “The Swell” was only one asset that did not represent the entire county as a whole. While “The Swell” is a very popular spot, Emery County is much more: we have beautiful state parks, the Manti-LaSal National Forest, unique museums, and wonderful local businesses that we felt like we were missing in our messaging. Another driving force behind the rebranding efforts were concerns that marketing “The Swell” only encouraged visitors to camp remotely without spending time and money in the community.
KF: What was the process of coming up with the new brand?
AM: The Travel Bureau and Travel Board spent all of 2023 working on the new brand in-house before soft launching to see how it resonated with the community. Outside of the normal travel board meetings, we also created a working group that met several times to work out the main ideas. When we launched the new brand on social media in July of 2023, it seemed to be well received. In October 2023 we decided to move forward and began working to get a marketing agency to finalize the brand and incorporate it throughout things like visitor guides. Following an open RFP process, a contract was signed in the middle of March 2024 and work with the agency began soon after.
KF: What makes “Life Energized” a good fit for the County brand?
AM: We wanted to attract the right types of visitors that also value our heritage and what our community was built on, such as historical and current energy production. We believe that the play on energy not only pays tribute to what Emery County was built on, but also embodies the feeling you get from visiting. Many people discussed how our events give them energy or how natural places here made them feel recharged. It’s also a reference to the state’s “Life Elevated” branding.
KF: Is there anything else you’d like for people in Green River to know about the new brand?
AM: While the new brand is the outward shift that the community and visitors alike will see, it is also important to understand that the shift that has happened internally as well. We have turned much of our focus to using transient room tax (TRT) funds to market the area in a way that builds the community, and in turn organically grows tourism. The 35+ events that the Travel Bureau supports gives locals exciting things to do and welcomes visitors to understand the importance of visiting in a responsible and sustainable way. It also gives the local community a chance to know ahead what dates may have higher visitors.
The travel board works closely with Green River’s event coordinator, Robin Hunt, and sponsors every major event held in Green River. Locals should know that TRT funds can only be spent in very specific ways: 47% of TRT must go into marketing efforts, while 53% can be spent on mitigation and infrastructure.
For more info, questions, or concerns contact the Travel Bureau at travel@emery.utah.gov. Anyone is welcome at Travel Board meetings, which alternate between Castle Dale and Green River.