The St. Petersburg Economic Development Corp. existed to attract businesses to its destination but battled outdated perceptions of it as a slow-paced beach town. The reality was that St. Pete had evolved into a vibrant waterfront city and magnet for quality talent and innovation. They needed a new brand identity and story to get people’s attention and overcome a dated narrative.
Just two months after launch, website users increased 29% year over year, creating a unified narrative embraced by civic and business leaders alike.
“Become St. Pete” was an invitation to capitalize on the city’s momentum. The branded call-to-action led with a business-forward position, supported by strong quality-of-life benefits. Through deep collaboration with the community, we applied local icons like the pelican and vintage postcard typography to lively stories of our business successes to build a new brand. This came to life across a breakthrough website design prioritizing pride in the place over facts and figures alone.
