ReBrand: Go Underground with Howe Caverns

Howe Caverns is the largest show cave in the Northeastern US. Show caves, aka tourist caves, public caves, or commercial caves, are caves that are open to the public. Located about an hour west of Albany, NY, Howe Caverns is a roadside attraction from a time gone by. Competing with flashy amusement parks, video games, and shopping malls is tough business and when new owners purchased the property in 2007 they sought help to reinvent Howe Caverns as a year-round travel destination to attract new and repeat visitors.

The owners chose destination branding gurus Wanderlust to rebrand Howe Caverns and develop a campaign that would increase annual visits. (Interesting side note: I actually pitched for this project, glad to see it landed in good hands. Really, no hard feelings.)

Based on extensive market research and understanding of travel consumers’ purchase behaviors, Wanderlust repositioned the brand as “a really cool way to spend the day”.  A new visual identity – youthful, energetic and gritty – conveys all the excitement, wonder and adventure of Howe Caverns, with an invitation to “go underground”. The team leveraged the influence of vivid sensory experiences, imagery and story-telling to dramatize the underground experience, and employed online messaging and SEO to reach younger audiences.

The new Howe brand launched in mid-July 2008, just in time for high gas prices and the sharp decline in travel & tourism. Even so, Howe saw a dramatic increase in traffic beginning in August and visits were up for the first time in 10 years, 15-20% over revenue goals.

Bob Holt, General Manager of Howe Caverns, said, “Wanderlust pushed us to think differently about our brand, the customer experience and the way we market. It’s inspiring, exciting, our customers love it – and it’s working.”

AFTER

Thanks to REBRAND™ for the after display.