REBRANDING DEVON TOWN TAVISTOCK (FOUNDED 974 AD)
The Devon market town of Tavistock has undergone a rebrand. The whole town.
Well, not quite. But the town’s tourism campaign and in-town signage have been redesigned by Nathaniel Davis, a Devon-based agency to some opposition from residents.
Tavistock’s Business Improvement District (BID) called for a new identity to be used by local businesses and for tourism purposes. The lighthearted campaign is tagged with ‘Founded 974 AD’ and other subtle jokes.
But at a town meeting debuting the redesign, residents were not as pleased with the new logo and marketing materials as the BID. Some even derided the campaign because Tavistock is ‘not trendy.’
One resident says, “Tavistock already has pretty good colours in its crest. I think the BID needs to be a bit careful here.”
Towns across Britain have been engaging with rebranding as a means of updating their appeal to tourists. Last month, Dorset seaside town Lyme Regis rebranded its tourism campaign with a comical drawing of a mermaid, to mild outrage by townspeople. Gravesend also recently fielded a presentation regarding changing its name to Gravesend-on-Thames, to attract visitors put off by the name.
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