Destination branding can be a fun and exciting exercise. Really.

I don’t want to bore you with a bunch of marketing jargon, but a little setup might be fun:

• Adirondack Mountains – A geographic feature
• Adirondack Park – A regulatory district
• Adirondack Region – 1 of 11 Vacation Regions, as defined by the I LOVE NY program
• Adirondack Chair – A popular chair-style
• Adirondack Architecture – A style of building a.k.a. National Park Service Rustic 0r Parkitecture
• Adirondack Style – Rustic, woodsy à la the things above

Who is promoting “the Adirondacks”? Just off the top of my head:

• I LOVE NY
• Regional DMO – Visit Adirondacks
• County Tourism Offices – (7, plus the Town of Webb/Old Forge)
• Sub-county Regions – Essex County has 4 sub-regions
• Various Local Towns and Villages
• Various Non-governmental Organizations i.e. ORDA, ANCA, ADK Club
• Various Business Associations i.e. Chambers of Commerce
• Various Private Individuals/Businesses i.e. adirondacks.com, adirondack.net

Have you heard about the Central Adirondack Trail Marketing and Branding Project?  It seems they have come up with a Final Theme Statement for the Central Adirondack Scenic Byway, now known as The Waterways Crescent Connection:

The Waterways Crescent Connection – integrates the unique intrinsic scenic and natural, recreational, and historic and cultural experiences of the Central Adirondack Trail.

All of these special qualities are dominated by the enormous variety of water resources in and along the waterways–natural and man-made, in wilderness as well as in urban settings—that exist along the entire Scenic Byway.

The term crescent evokes the visual image of the very distinctive shape of the Scenic Byway.

Connection highlights the overriding geographic aspects of the route – connections to and between the diverse waterways that parallel, and or, intercept the route, and the diverse transportation and four-season recreational opportunities they provide. Connection sets the stage for the history of how those who have lived along the byway route and waterways have used the lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, and canals for military, transportation, and recreational purposes, and for their livelihoods. It also conveys the cultural and community relationships that exist and are nurtured today by those waterways.

A quick search reveals that the term, “Waterways Crescent” is wide-open for marketing purposes.  In fact, the domain “waterwayscrescent.com” is still available. Who will be the proud owner?

More fascinating for me is the former Crescent bicycle brand from Sweden. (via Bikelog) You gotta love the Swedes. Well, that was totally off-topic.

It’s been fun writing about the Central Adirondack Trail.