VSL takes aim at misperceptions, rebrands visitor-attracting efforts

By Brice Wallace  

Fueled by outsiders’ misperceptions about the area, Salt Lake’s convention and travel promotion organization has unveiled a new brand as a way to help change that way of thinking.

Armed with a logo of a salt crystal — a metaphor for the many facets of the area — and the phrase “West of Conventional,” Visit Salt Lake (VSL) hopes to educate potential visitors about the place’s charms and ultimately sway tourists and convention-goers to come.

“Perceptions of Salt Lake lag way behind the realities,” said Stephanie Barkow, senior vice president of brand strategy for BVK, a Milwaukee-based brand agency VSL selected to help with the campaign. “Here, things that shouldn’t go together miraculously do. And it fuels an environment of fresh, creative energy where unconventional thinking empowers a better way forward.”

The first true brand identity campaign for VSL in its nearly 40 years in business is the result of years of research that clearly demonstrated the disconnect between what outsiders think about the area and what those same people will find once they’re here.

For example, Salt Lake is perceived to have natural beauty and outdoor activities and is a safe and great place for families. However, it is not recognized as having a lot of entertainment options, diversity or wide variety of cultural experiences.

A new ad campaign that will run nationally will attempt to dispel those misperceptions. VSL documents about the campaign hail Salt Lake as “more modern, progressive, inclusive and vibrant than travelers realize” and an “incredible modern, fresh, vibrant destination that is inclusive, genuine, eclectic and intriguing,” with “fresh, creative energy” and “diverse cultures, pastimes and landscapes.”

The “West of Conventional” phase is meant, in part, to inform people about Salt Lake’s many incongruities, with the area being a “meeting place” where divergent elements that wouldn’t ordinarily go together blend effortlessly.

“Together we’re building a stronger visitor economy that’s more resilient and more relevant to everyone,” said Kaitlin Eskelson, VSL’s president and CEO. “We just launched a compelling new brand for our entire destination that will serve us as we rebuild and move toward a very bright future. We are passionate about our place and excited to educate would-be travelers about our secret gems.”

“BVK and Visit Salt Lake are partnering in developing a strong, sustainable and unified brand for Salt Lake,” Barkow said. “Destinations need to reimagine and restructure themselves to meet the evolving demands of not just the traveler but also the local community — those who live and work here.”

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, who partnered with VSL for the campaign unveiling, noted the importance of visitors to the area. Visitors to Utah typically spend $10.1 billion a year, making it the state’s eighth-largest industry, and Salt Lake County accounts for 46 percent of that total, or $4.65 billion.

“As partners with Visit Salt Lake, we are certain this new direction will bring great results and enable VSL to attract more conventions, leisure travelers and visitors,” Wilson said. “The size and scope of the visitor economy is substantial.”