Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Community branding and storytelling in rural West Virginia: Revitalizing Appalachian communities through sense of place
Session Abstract or Summary
Appalachian communities are oftentimes labeled or portrayed in ways that they would not define themselves. Their stories and places are complex and deserve authentic representation of their communities and the people who call them home.
From authentic, immersive storytelling approaches to place-branding campaigns to help communities redefine themselves, this panel offers a deeper look into work that allows communities to tell their own stories, rather than allowing others to define them in the social, digital, and traditional media landscapes. Specifically, this panel will cover the work of BrandJRNY, a grant-funded community branding initiative that is housed at West Virginia University’s Media Innovation Center. Taking a community-first approach, faculty-led student teams work to revitalize West Virginia communities through research-based branding campaigns that are unique and catered to each place.
Panelists will provide in-depth discussions of this funded community branding initiative that re-envisions and revitalizes struggling communities to help improve tourism and economic development efforts that reach target audiences while resonating with local residents to create a sense of community pride. They will cover the importance of relationship building, community engagement and research to drive the creative and communications processes. Finally, they will discuss brand storytelling from the perspective of place (not product) using multi-platform, immersive techniques that appeal to different audiences.
Panelists will take you on a brand journey to discuss the experiences, successes and challenges faced throughout this enriching process as well as the outcomes and impacts on the communities and students involved. Compelling visuals and video pieces are included.
Presentation #1 Title
BrandJRNY: Using Faculty/Student-led Community Branding Initiatives to Improve West Virginia Communities
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
BrandJRNY Creator, Principal Investigator and Director Dr. Rita Colistra will kick off the panel discussion to provide the background, scope, process and creation of this multiple grant-funded community branding initiative.
Rather than working with larger communities with more resources, BrandJRNY works with struggling, rural communities to create research-based integrated branding campaigns that are geared toward helping communities redefine and revitalize themselves to promote tourism, increase economic development, and boost community pride. Many communities were reliant upon a dwindling, and now nearly non-existent, natural resource-based economy.
BrandJRNY works with community champions and leaders to help re-envision their towns to diversify their economy in order to survive. Through a mix of traditional, innovative, and immersive storytelling techniques, as well as grassroots, entrepreneurial and training efforts, BrandJRNY takes a different approach to branding that focuses on place and people and creates brands that appeal to target audiences while resonating with the community. Faculty-led student teams immerse themselves in the culture to earn trust and build relationships that contribute to the one-of-a-kind experience.
In addition to providing specific examples of the community work, Colistra will discuss best practices as well as barriers to (and accelerators for) success, within the communities. She will also cover tips for creating these programs, locating potential funding sources to support them, challenges faced from the academic/student perspective, student and community outcomes, and specific examples of student and faculty work.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Dr. Rita Colistra is an Associate Professor in Strategic Communications at West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media. She is also the principal investigator and director for BrandJRNY, a grant-funded community branding initiative, that creates integrated branding campaigns for struggling West Virginia Communities. Colistra has obtained nearly $450,000 in funding to implement more than 15 campaigns for communities and organizations in West Virginia. A national award-winning professor and scholar, Colistra and her students have won 20 Crystal Awards and eight Honorable Mentions from the Public Relations Society of America—WV Chapter.
Presentation #2 Title
Finding the Right Look and Feel: Using Community Engagement and Research to Guide Creative, Social and Communications Strategies and Brand Messaging
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Branding is more than a logo, line or color scheme. It’s about perceptions and what people say about your (or your town) when you’re not around. Building relationships, engaging the community and conducting multiple methods of research are all crucial steps in the branding process.
This portion of the panel focuses primarily on the student perspective of working with BrandJRNY. Specifically, it covers the importance of getting to know communities and the people who live there, immersing yourself in community culture, and gathering information through interviews, surveys and community roundtables in order to create authentic creative strategies and messaging that not only appeal to identified target audiences but that resonate with community members as well.
This presentation will cover how research should drive branding strategy, how best to present this information both visually and in the form of the design and brand platform pitch, and how to use this information to guide all communications strategies to give the brand one unifying voice. This discussion will also center around opportunities and challenges of working within communities with limited resources as well as educational challenges of students working on an extremely demanding project in rural communities that are long distances away from their university. Student educational outcomes, student project tips and compelling visual and reflection pieces included.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Carly Smith is a recent graduate of the West Virginia Reed College of Media, where she majored in Strategic Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations and minor in Communication Studies. She has served multiple roles on the #BrandPineville team through BrandJRNY, holding the position of Research Director and Social Media Director. As a part of this project, she developed and launched multiple surveys, moderated community focus groups, and completed a full social media audit and strategy for the rural West Virginia town. She hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from WVU and eventually move to the Nashville, Tennessee area.
Presentation #3 Title
Telling Their Story: Using Multi-platform Visual Storytelling to Establish a Sense of Place in Appalachian Communities
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
The identities of small rural communities in central Appalachia are often defined by media from outside the region, and as a result they often find their narratives entangled with superficial, one-dimensional stereotypes and prejudices. These incomplete narratives fail to tell the full story of dedicated residents who are working to make their communities stronger, and result in an overwhelmingly negative image.
How can we engage Appalachian communities and tell character, culture and place-driven stories that connect emotionally with a target audience? Through research-based strategic brand storytelling, we can amplify unheard voices and redefine the image of these communities throughout the region.
Students in the WVU Reed College of Media’s Visual Brand Storytelling class collaborate with a separate Public Relations campaign capstone class. Together, they immerse themselves in local communities to research and develop a strategic campaign that provides these towns with an authentic, cohesive brand identity. During this process, they document the struggles and successes and help these communities present a vision for their future.
Through the use of traditional visual mediums (photography, short and long-form video for web and social media) and emerging technology (augmented reality, virtual reality, 360 video), these students plan, produce and publish content for print and digital platforms that conveys strategic brand stories and messaging for Appalachian communities. Through training, storytelling workshops and community partnerships they also create a sustainable strategic brand storytelling strategy so that residents can continue to control their narratives into the future.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
David Smith is a teaching assistant professor at the WVU Reed College of Media, where he teaches multimedia storytelling to Journalism and Strategic Communications students. He also helps lead the audience development team for the reporting project, 100 Days in Appalachia, and is the brand storytelling lead for BrandJRNY, a community branding initiative. Before coming to WVU, David was a visual journalist in North Carolina, Alabama, Ohio and West Virginia. He is passionate about community storytelling and encouraging a spirit of curiosity and experimentation in students.
BrandJRNY: Using Faculty/Student-led Community Branding Initiatives to Improve West Virginia Communities
BrandJRNY Creator, Principal Investigator and Director Dr. Rita Colistra will kick off the panel discussion to provide the background, scope, process and creation of this multiple grant-funded community branding initiative.
Rather than working with larger communities with more resources, BrandJRNY works with struggling, rural communities to create research-based integrated branding campaigns that are geared toward helping communities redefine and revitalize themselves to promote tourism, increase economic development, and boost community pride. Many communities were reliant upon a dwindling, and now nearly non-existent, natural resource-based economy.
BrandJRNY works with community champions and leaders to help re-envision their towns to diversify their economy in order to survive. Through a mix of traditional, innovative, and immersive storytelling techniques, as well as grassroots, entrepreneurial and training efforts, BrandJRNY takes a different approach to branding that focuses on place and people and creates brands that appeal to target audiences while resonating with the community. Faculty-led student teams immerse themselves in the culture to earn trust and build relationships that contribute to the one-of-a-kind experience.
In addition to providing specific examples of the community work, Colistra will discuss best practices as well as barriers to (and accelerators for) success, within the communities. She will also cover tips for creating these programs, locating potential funding sources to support them, challenges faced from the academic/student perspective, student and community outcomes, and specific examples of student and faculty work.
