Branding St. Ignace to lure tourists, businesses

By AMELIA HAVANEC
Capital News Service
LANSING – Creating a community’s brand is more than a logo and a few billboards along the highway. An effective branding strategy promotes recognition and can also unite community residents. “Some people have an impression in their minds of what a city sort of is, and by branding you develop this image and have some control over what that image is going to be,” said Suzeanne Benet, Seidman Marketing Department chair at Grand Valley State University. In the case of St. Ignace, the area is picturesque and historically preserved, according to Pure Michigan, the state’s tourism promotion agency.