Huntsville CVB unveils new brand 'Gravitate Here' to promote tourism, conventions

The Huntsville Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau unveiled a new brand identity on March 27 aimed at better reflecting the city's mix of high-tech industry and outdoor amenities and boosting tourism and convention business.

Jennifer Moore, president and CEO of the Huntsville Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the CVB completed a rebrand that includes a new logo package, tagline and color palette. “We wanted our new brand to reflect the growth and progress of our city, including icons and imagery that would help us convey the many facets of Huntsville that visitors can experience,” Moore said.

The CVB contracted Bold Agency for the creative work. Lauren Goins, founder and CEO of Bold Agency, described the new tagline, Gravitate Here, and the logo elements: a sun symbol for energy and optimism, a silhouette nod to the rocket iconography tied to the city’s space-industry profile, and design references to rolling hills and agricultural roots. “The new brand plays both an homage to Huntsville's history while also embracing the future,” Goins said.

Madden Media explained a data-driven marketing approach that will use the new brand to target specific traveler personas and to help fill new hotel inventory and support conventions and sports tourism. Daryl Whitworth of Madden Media said the agency will first run an interim campaign using existing assets while the CVB gathers new creative material.

Council members praised the presentation. Dr. Robinson asked about the CVB’s “personas”; agency staff described a “business and leisure” or “bleisure” segment that combines business and leisure travel behaviors.

Ending: The CVB said the marketing work began in October of the previous year and will proceed to interim campaigns while the CVB collects additional assets to deploy the new identity more broadly.