Photo by Allison Perrine
RED BANK – Red Bank is a place of constant reinvention, according to RiverCenter, the nonprofit entity that promotes local merchants and businesses. And reinvention is the inspiration behind its rebranding campaign to introduce borough visitors and residents to new experiences.
To highlight everything the borough has to offer, Red Bank RiverCenter has partnered with borough-based Spitball Advertising for the past six months to develop an appropriate advertising campaign and five-year marketing strategy. The campaign will be marketed throughout the town, online and on social media sites.
“What we saw from our research is people really only associate Red Bank with the one thing they already came here for,” said Sam
Underwood, the advertising company’s communications strategist. “People are looking for more unexpected experiences and discovery, but when we thought about Red Bank, the town itself, it was a town of constant reinvention that created this unique mix of experiences.”
The slogan of the new campaign is “Red Bank: A Work of Art,” and illustrated street banners hung around town recently demonstrate that. The banners are red, black and white, and work as both an advertisement for Red Bank and a piece of art. Each one has one large graphic on it such as a stiletto shoe, margarita glass or cello. But when passersby look closer, 100 smaller images make up the larger one.
“It screams Red Bank, sophistication and fun at the same time,” said Nick Velardi, the agency illustrator and designer. “The thing that brings you here might be just the thing that you always think about,” like drinks, shops or music, represented by the main illustration. “But a visit to our town, as we all know, really turns into so much more as you look around and there’s surprises around every corner. And we’ve created these images to reflect that.”
The illustrations will be used across different types of media platforms, not just as banners. Some of the images have been sent out in print pieces and RiverCenter will also use photos taken from businesses in town, inviting the public to “make their meal a work of art,” or “make their look a work of art,” for example.
“Red Bank has so much to offer and we want to showcase that, not through stock photography or something that anyone else can show, but the beautiful craftsmanship that really does make each of the businesses a work of art,” said Velardi. Graphics and overlays used in the campaign will be used online as well for websites and on social media sites.
Members of RiverCenter presented the campaign to the mayor and council at the Oct. 23 meeting. While Mayor Pasquale Menna said the new ideas are “extraordinary,” he recommended that more advertisements be targeted to people outside the area to bring new people to town. “I think we should advertise to people who are not here to get them here,” he said, suggesting they advertise on NJ Transit trains.
James Scavone, RiverCenter executive director, said the organization mostly focuses on digital and social advertising, but that it does do some print advertising in the state and county tourism guides. “When it comes down to it, we have to lay the budget over top of everything and consider what’s most effective,” said Scavone.
