New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Background
The City of New Smyrna Beach, FL (pop. 23,230), is nestled on the Atlantic Ocean just south of Daytona Beach and northeast of Orlando. While many visitors are drawn to the city’s white-sand beaches, others tout its historic significance as the site of the largest British attempt at colonization in the New World in 1768. The community takes pride in maintaining its genuine, old-Florida charm but also welcomes redevelopment efforts that preserve its character.
For nearly a century, much of the area encompassed by the current New Smyrna Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) district has served as the focal point of the city’s commerce. As residential and commercial development extended westward from the city’s core, however, new business followed. The historic areas that were once the hub of activity began to suffer economically. Storefronts were vacated and properties fell into disrepair.
Despite these struggles, the New Smyrna Beach community has continued to value these areas for their history, charm, and character, and for their independent proprietors. It is those characteristics that have given generations of residents a sense of connection with each other, the merchants, and their community.
Through the development of an integrated marketing plan, New Smyrna Beach began branding the area as the NSB Waterfront Loop. While the city spearheaded the initiative, the process engaged district businesses and nonprofit representatives to assist in the extension of the brand to create “buzz” about the area.
The Role of the City Manager
In 1985, the New Smyrna Beach City Commission established a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), which will sunset in 2015. Under the direction of City Manager Pam Brangaccio, in 2010, the City Commission adopted an updated CRA master plan that included a directive to “Brand the [CRA] District.”
In January 2010, Brangaccio hired a former city manager, Tony Otte, to implement the revised 2010 CRA plan. Otte’s experience in several Florida CRAs was invaluable to the last five years of progress within the CRA. A year later, Holly Smith, an experienced government public relations manager, came on board to develop, implement, and manage the NSB Waterfront Loop marketing plan. “An experienced professional staff has been a game changer for the CRA,” Brangaccio said.
What Made the Project Unique?
The New Smyrna Beach CRA comprises three historic districts—Canal Street, Flagler Avenue, and the Westside—which have served those living in the surrounding residential areas, along with two additional commercial areas, Third Avenue and the North Causeway. While collectively these districts offered a variety of amenities and activities from shopping, dining, fine art, and water-related activities; the four distinct character districts were viewed by residents and visitors as separate destinations of varying interest.
In addition to the challenge of initiating a marketing campaign for a previously unbranded area, the CRA plan called for positioning and promoting these four distinct character districts as a single destination. Prior to the initiation of this branding initiative, marketing of the CRA character districts had been conducted by volunteers and merchant groups and focused on the individual advertising of standalone events. No comprehensive marketing plan was developed or launched for any of the character districts or the CRA collectively. Yet most stakeholders agreed that “marketing” was necessary to bring “feet to the street” and new businesses to the district.
Recognizing the CRA’s circle geography, in 2010 the City Commission voted to brand the four character districts collectively as the NSB Waterfront Loop. The six-mile, drivable route traverses historical areas while following the district’s waterways. This also provided a geographical area that could be branded as a charming, old-Florida-style shopping, dining, cultural and outdoor- activity destination.
Following the administration of customer surveys and the establishment of a steering group comprising character district representatives, the Loop marketing plan was initiated in October 2011. Marketing objectives included increasing awareness, visibility, and buzz around the Loop and the experiences it offers.
Due to limited staff availability and expertise, the city hired a marketing consultant to develop the plan and collateral campaigns, and that firm continues, as needed, to coordinate and manage the development and distribution of all integrated marketing tools among paid vendors and merchant partners. Those tools include:
- A website and Facebook page
- Two monthly e-newsletters
- Event and outdoor (wayfinding) signage
- Print, radio and online advertisements
- Monthly event rack cards
- Cooperative advertising
- News releases, and
- Individual event promotions.
Project Outcomes
The New Smyrna Beach CRA marketing initiative, including a “Do the Loop!” campaign, provided a strategy for building awareness of the city’s Loop geography and upcoming opportunities to engage potential audiences through events. For the first time in its history, the city created a single information source for coordinated, planned events within the jurisdiction’s distinct character districts that is easily accessible through print, online, and broadcast sources. Not only did the news media begin to use the Loop name in editorials, news, and entertainment stories, it also cited the project as an example of a highly successful redevelopment initiative.
By the end of the first six months of the Loop promotion, the merchant’s associations reported a 20-to-40 percent increase in event attendance and store traffic. After six months of marketing, businesses and event hosts reported increased foot traffic and attendance, and the initial marketing catch phrase had residents and visitors saying “Do the Loop!” And while the Loop does not claim responsibility for increased sales among district businesses, the project strives to increase customer traffic by introducing area offerings to residents and visitors.
The New Smyrna Beach Waterfront Loop marketing initiative is a successful example of finding common ground among disparate merchant groups/areas and using those commonalities to market the area collectively. By establishing a committee of character district representatives to participate in the development of the district’s brand, the resulting marketing effort has been well received and appreciated by the business groups that benefit directly from them. These affordable efforts also have created a “feel good” buzz among residents and visitors, who continue to recognize the areas’ unique assets and events schedule. New Loop business owners also have shared that they chose their location to “be in the Loop.”
Revitalization of the area continues as a collaborative process between the city’s CRA, local government, and local merchants.
Additional Resources
New Smyrna Beach Waterfront Loop Website
Meet the Manager
