Our Services

Place Branding

This is what we do best

It’s called many things – city branding, civic branding, community branding, place branding or destination branding. No matter what it’s called, this is what we do best. In fact, our place branding process has been recognized for excellence in using research to create marketing results.

Brand Navigator

A complete branding process that includes discovery, stakeholder engagement, development and a complete action plan.

Destination Brand Assessment & Report Card

Our team visits the area and conducts a complete communications audit and a workshop for your immediate community stakeholders. We provide a destination branding report card rating each of your communications touch points. This is great for when you are not sure what elements of the place branding process are necessary. We’ll help identify the priority elements for you so better decisions can made.

Brand Refresh

Maybe your destination went through a branding process a few years ago, and it’s not necessary to re-discover your story. If you are interested in creating new energy and creative interpretation around your story, this may be a shorter and more appropriate program.

Planning

The world of marketing is continuing to change quickly. If you are in need of research based strategic planning, we can help! We have developed tourism strategic plans for many different destinations across the United States. Sometimes a change in tourism direction is needed but should be grounded in a research-based approach and solutions that can manage and satisfy expectations of boards and political influences. Our Tourism Strategic Planning provides strategic recommendations for marketing and organizational direction, and a working plan for increasing sales tax and bed tax dollars from visitors.

Research

Destination Research

Destination Research is the foundation of everything we do. Whether you’re a municipality, tourism or destination marketing organization, or a stand alone attraction, research will provide the necessary data to support short and long term strategic growth goals. Do you need us to conduct a specific study or be your in-house research partner? We can do that.

Examples of research we can tailor to your community or visitors include: Visitor Profile Study, Community Perception Study, Citizen Satisfaction Study, Attitude Awareness & Perception Study, Human Movement Evaluation, Membership Specific Study, Focus Groups.

Festival & Event Economic Impact Studies

We love local festivals and events! We find that clients usually don’t measure them and are missing out on valuable data. When you have a need to show the economic impact of your local festival or event give us a call. We have strong experience in helping communities evaluate the impact of these types of events. It not only helps clarify the truth, but it can help provide insights for better marketing and recruitment of sponsors for next year’s event.

Higher Education Brand Development

Your Institution, Your Story

In the competitive landscape of higher education, your institution’s brand is more than just a logo—it’s the story that resonates with prospective students, faculty, and the broader community. We understand that colleges and universities are not just educational institutions; they are vital places within their communities, each with a unique identity that contributes to their success. As students and families evaluate educational opportunities, they are not only considering academic offerings but are also looking for a sense of belonging and purpose. This is where your brand story becomes crucial.

Chandlerthinks brings a team of specialists with more than 20 years of place branding to the table, who has a passion for helping places articulate their most authentic and compelling narratives. Each member of our team has extensive experience in evaluating and shaping the brand identities of destinations, and we apply the same strategic approach to educational institutions. From understanding your institution’s mission/vision/core values to crafting a story that connects emotionally with your target audience, we help you stand out in a crowded market. We believe that every college and university has a story.

Speaking Engagements

Conference Speakers

Chandlerthinks team members have vast experience serving as keynote or breakout session speakers at municipal and tourism related conferences covering such topics from branding and strategic planning to marketing and research.

Place Branding Education Seminar

Often community leaders want to learn more about the philosophies and process of place branding. Steve will meet and speak to your assembly of stakeholders, businesses and residents about why branding is so important for any community and how it helps the local economy.

To book directly, contact Steve-Branding (steve@chandlerthinks.com) or Greg-Research (greg@chandlerthinks.com) with your event details.

Speaking Bios

Steve Chandler
Owner/Place Brand Strategist

Steve Chandler is an emerging thought leader and strategist on the topic of place branding and marketing. His energetic and engaging presenting style creates a personal, and certainly entertaining, audience experience. Steve is a career marketing man with more than two decades of experience in strategic planning and brand development for local, regional and national brands. His experience emphasis is connected to the hospitality industry and place marketing. He applies his classic marketing, place branding and digital savvy backgrounds to Chandlerthinks, a Nashville, TN based strategic marketing and branding firm focused on working with cities, communities and places. Steve frequently speaks on the topics of place branding, online brand building and digital strategy, and has been designated the industry professor on “Destination Branding” for the Southeast Tourism Society’s annual Marketing College.

Don’t ask him to stand behind a podium unless you are trying to torture him.

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