Hot Idea: A little communication savvy to tame our local culinary rock star owners and chefs, and we now have a hip dining guide, dubbed Beyond Grits, and have wrapped up Lexington’s inaugural Restaurant Week in July.  Wherein visitors and locals alike were encouraged to venture out and discover new favorites among our happening cuisine scene.  Our accompanying website features extensive listings, category maps, feature owner/chef profiles and helps dining go-ers find the newest hot spots in town.

Cool Results: Lexington’s Restaurant Week was a smashing success, and dining guides are flying - and we just keep having to print more. And oh how the tables have turned. Owners are trying to track us down to be featured, assist and get involved in any way.

Situation: When Group CJ realized the Berea Tourism Commission and the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau had set their sights on the same niche target, we proposed they pool their resources to increase their chance of success. We’re pretty astute about spotting opportunities to broker mutually-beneficial partnerships between like-minded entities for the common good. The target is the highly sought after fine-arts traveler: an affluent, educated, woman 45+, with an appreciation for the trappings of the equine lifestyle. This woman seeks sophisticated firsthand experiences of art, culture, heritage and all things culinary, to share with friends and family, within a few hours’ drive from home. All of which Lexington, Shaker Village and Berea offer in over-abundance.

Hot Idea: Realizing that we have a lot in common with this target, we crafted a weekend packed with typical culinary, artistic and equine events and invited a focus group of savvy women from the Cincinnati area to road test it. From their positive feedback and subsequent thinking came the idea of Bluegrass Exclusive, the “inside scoop” on events and activities in the Bluegrass hand-picked to appeal to this target and her friends. Complete with itineraries and incentives to tempt her to travel south and spend a night or two in town.

Cool Results: Colorful inserts and ads in the New York Times, Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Express are garnering feedback of the “I had no idea all this was going on down in the Bluegrass!” variety. Plus the added ‘star appeal’ of Miss Ashley Judd as the voice talent for our television spots.

Hot Idea: Berea is one of those rare places where a visitor can actually experience art, rather than simply purchase or view it from a distance. Group CJ’s in-depth analysis of the travel industry and branding process identified and captured this differentiating quality in the positioning line: Berea. Where Art’s Alive. This proposition consistently anchors and informs all brand communications, from website to visitor maps to ads and outdoor boards and way-finding signage.

Cool Results: A brand that seemed stalled found new life and energy and purpose. Artful communications now reflect the quality of the town and its artistic offerings. New fine arts targets have been identified and joint efforts launched with neighboring counties to put Berea on this customer’s radar. Overall attendance at citywide festivals and events increases by a steady 25% every year. Berea’s artists and artisans, inspired to bring their brand idea to life, now share their skills in a newly created Festival of Learnshops which is now an annual event. Bottom line?

Berea is booming and we couldn’t be more delighted to be at the party.