Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 1, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 7 together a marketing strategy that continues to make sense," Fiveash said. "(Tourism) is one of the few indus- tries, one of the few departments or places in the budget, that actually puts money back into the checkbook." Experts weigh in There's no exact blueprint for when and how states and organizations should rebrand, according to local ad firms, which all agree Connecticut must invest more in tourism. After all, Connecticut ranks second- to-last in tourism spending among Northeast states, according to data provided by the Office of Tourism. Firms say brand changes should be driven by whether a target audience has changed, or if a product no longer aligns with existing marketing strategies. That means Connecticut would need to take a look at its largest tourism markets in New York City and Boston, officials say. Jay Sloves, president of Farmington advertising agency Elkinson & Sloves Inc., says the "Still Revolutionary" tagline is clever but takes credit for the American Revolution, which was birthed out of neighboring Massachusetts. "I think it should have been retired a day after it was introduced," Sloves said of the state's slogan. "Massachu- setts owns the Revolution, how could you compete with that?" Sloves knows all about reeling in a target audience through branding. His firm convinced its former clients, the owners of the minor league New Brit- ain Rock Cats, to stick with its "These Cats Rock" slogan in the late 1990s because they felt the club was better off selling the gameday experience as a family picnic with a ball game rather than as a major league team. The team's patience paid off as the catchphrase held strong for 17 years until the franchise moved to Hartford. "A slogan helps define you, but who you are does the defining for you," he said. Kim Manning, CEO of Glaston- bury advertising agency Cronin, says data show the "Still Revolu- tionary" slogan and branding campaign — which included advertisement placements on TV, radio, bill- boards and social media, and a revamped state- wide tourism website — pro- vided the indus- try a boost after it launched in 2012, but suggested it may need to be updated. Manning says development of a new slogan should be performed by a pri- vate firm, just as the state did in 2012 when it hired Chowder Inc. to develop its new brand. That decision, of course, drew criti- cism from the local ad industry because Chowder is based in New York City. However, proponents say it's worth seeking out-of-state perspectives, es- pecially from a firm based in Connecti- cut's targeted tourism markets. "The most powerful brands are rooted in truth," Manning said. "Any new line would have to truly illuminate why our state is strong." One major issue the tourism indus- try faces is that it lacks an identity, ac- cording to Eric Cavoli, group creative director of Glastonbury marketing and advertising firm CashmanKatz. "When you think about Connecticut, you don't think about much," Cavoli said. But another slogan wouldn't by itself attract new visitors to the state. Tourism stakeholders, he said, must also become more hospitable and buy into Connecticut's brand at a grass- roots level. Negativity surrounding the "Still Revolutionary" slogan dampened its debut in 2012, he said. "You can't just depend on a $15 million advertising campaign," Cavoli said. "The way a business' staff acts and behaves matters." Connecticut Convention & Sports Bu- reau President Robert Murdock says his organization rarely, if ever, utilizes the state slogan in advertising campaigns because it can't be leveraged to promote local sporting and convention venues. Murdock suggested the state may be able to use one slogan for tourism and another for economic development. "I don't think the slogan is broken," he said. "But perhaps there is something out there that we could use." Up all night with the new tax act? I am, also. But studying, not worrying. Major change is at hand and the new tax act has many business owners concerned. Choice of entity? The new CT tax work around? Interest limitations? SALT caps? Flow through deduction? Should I even stay in CT? These are a few of the questions I deal with every day. As a Tax Partner at Federman, Lally & Remis, my thirty years of experience can help you through this particularly challenging year. From routine compliance to sophisticated planning and structure, we are here to help avoid sleepless nights and new tax act nightmares. There are some big winners in the new tax world. We can help your business be one of them. – Debbie Denno, CPA 231 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06032 | 860-678-7100 | www.flrcpa.com " " Change is a constant and I fi nd that we give our clients peace of mind. Randy Fiveash is the director of the Connecticut Office of Tourism. PHOTO | HBJ FILE

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