What’s Indiana’s Brand?

What does Indiana’s brand look like? One may first ask, what actually constitutes a “brand,” especially when it reflects where one lives or works? Some say it’s the logo or recognized symbol. Others claim that a brand represents a complex perspective that exists in the mind.

Whatever the definition, powerhouse brands – and their perceptions – are motivating and definitely influence consumer decisions.

Developing a High-Impact Brand

Why is this important to Indiana? The Hoosier state’s hospitality sector generates some $37 billion annually, representing more than 10% of the state’s Gross Domestic Product.

With that in mind, the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC) launched a major effort earlier in 2021 to determine what visitors, convention planners, and others thought constituted Indiana’s brand – the sum of thoughts, perceptions and experience. What did it find?

IDDC supports state efforts to attract talent for workforce development, drives efforts to increase tourism spend and the number of visitors to the state, and helps the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) attract and retain companies and jobs. They organized a formal image study, conducted interviews with recruiters and talent sources, and brought together focus groups.

Accordingly, brand perceptions of Indiana are critical for the present and future of the Hoosier state.

The results were a little surprising, even for Indiana.

After the findings were in, IDDC leadership took the report on the road. What did they find?

Indiana – No Brand?

Indiana’s image is not negative, but the image study found that there is virtually no perception of Indiana.

In short, Indiana has no brand. For a state that has to go up against the varsity of a brand-defining standard of “Pure Michigan” just to the north, that represents a daunting task. (And it also means Indiana has the positive opportunity of a “blank canvas” to work on)

The focus groups provided a little more depth, with combined analysis diving deeper, but the results were similar: “Indiana has no identity,” with comments including: “Very vanilla, not a lot going on; not dynamic, plain lacking cultural and good food; slow, not real exciting; all rural.”

Recruiter interviews – engaging professionals who influence talent attraction, economic development and potential investments – further reinforced these initial results:

• Weak or non-existent current image of brand of Indiana nationally
• Consistent state messaging is needed
• Negative perceptions: fly-over state, little to do, too conservative, farmland
• Recruitment success higher if there exists some personal connection to Indiana
• Getting a recruit to visit and experience Indiana firsthand is essential

But all was not negative. IDDC market research found that when contacts were exposed to visitor marketing, the average person’s perception of Indiana as a good place to live and work increased by 22% (on average). Further, there was a 50% increase in perception when exposed to visitor marketing and contacts had actually visited – and experienced — Indiana at least once.

Taking Care of Business

While IDDC has its hands full in addressing all of these issues, they are transparent about the challenge, and they are deep into developing an actionable strategic plan that they plan to get funded by the Indiana General Assembly and other groups. That plan for real destination marketing includes:

• Develop message that reflects the quality of life in Indiana
• Attract talent
• Retain graduates
• Convert visitors
• Enhance Hoosier pride

IDDC is ramping up its focus, viewing its current challenge as a set of positive opportunities:

• Opportunity to tell Indiana’s authentic story
• Opportunity to increase positive perception
• Opportunity to increase visitors

As IDDC CEO Elaine Bedel, holding a gubernatorial Cabinet-level position, notes, competition for talent and workforce is fierce. The agency also recognizes that the Hoosier State graduates a highly qualified potential workforce every year at its seven state universities and 30 private educational institutions. Universities like Purdue, Rose Hulman, Indiana and others attract an astonishingly prominent level of new students annually.

The question remains: how does Indiana change its perception and promise so it keeps more of these highly qualified graduates for its workforce?

According to the IDDC initial strategic plan, that’s job one: “IDDC Strategic Plan Priority: Improve Indiana’s Brand Image and Perception”

Given Bedel’s long-term success in leading high-impact private and public organizations, Indiana seems set for some real advancement.

In the interim, the IDDC CEO notes, successful brand development in Indiana starts with a visit, especially one according to this mantra:

“If you build a place where people want to visit,

“You have built a place where people want to live.

“If you build a place where people want to live,

“Then you have built a place where people want to work.”

“If you have built a place where people want to work,

“Then you have built a place where employers want to locate.

“It all starts with a visit.”

But here’s a real challenge that should get the attention of legislators: Pure Michigan – the regional gold standard for brand development, positioning, and visitor/talent attraction – has been securing state funding for marketing at more than $15 million (and more) per annum. Indiana state budget funding represents but a small fraction of that figure. As a public-private partnership, IDDC looks to change all of that, and soon.

By Michael Snyder, MEK

Over its 20+ years of business (including winning some top awards), MEK has developed and implemented a wide variety of B2B and B2C brands. Click here for a summary.