Strategic marketing plans for Meeker and Rangely released

By Pat Turner
[email protected]
RBC | What’s the purpose of a brand? In agriculture a brand separates one man’s cattle from another man’s cattle by marking them in a way that sets them apart from all the others. In commerce, when a brand is known for being good or unique, people will begin to seek out that product.
In conjunction with the county’s economic development plan, the county hired Atlas Advertising in 2016 to help create “brands” for Meeker and Rangely, along with updated marketing strategies for both towns.
These marketing strategies will give both towns a “bigger focus” and “a cohesive marketing message,” according to Rio Blanco County Economic Development Coordinator Katelin Cook.
The tagline for Rangely is “Way Outside of Ordinary” and the tag line for Meeker is “Room to Roam.”
We live in a beautiful landscape with many opportunities for outdoor recreation. Promoting that is a way to attract more tourists, which would help our local businesses and our economy. But who’s going to come here if they don’t know what we have to offer? Some may resist the idea of attracting tourists to the area, but tourism dollars provide opportunities for us to improve the very amenities we love about our towns and seek to protect.
The marketing plans are spread over a three-year timeline and include economic development (primarily focused on diversification of the economy), local engagement and tourist attraction objectives for both communities.
The complete plans are available for the public on the county’s website (www.rbc.us) in the Economic Development section under community marketing strategies. As “local engagement” will play a big part in the success of this venture, residents in both communities are encouraged to read the plans and see where they can find places to get involved.
“Everyone is endeavoring to work together to help promote the county as a whole and to cross-promote events and assets. We believe that we have a tremendous opportunity to develop the tourist industry in our area but it’s not just going to happen on its own,” Cook said.