Visit Vacaville
Small Town Feel, Big Town Flavor
Vacaville, CA
SERVICES
Campaign Strategy
Event & Activation Ideation
Marketing Phrases & Taglines
Visual ID Development
Collateral Design
The Brief
Vacaville is a vibrant agricultural community in Northern California, known by many as the halfway point between the Bay Area and Tahoe. Thousands pass through it each year on their way to the lake or the slopes, often stopping for a bite to eat. As the city geared up for its annual Restaurant Week, Visit Vacaville was looking to shake things up with a strategic campaign and fresh new look that would attract more participating restaurants, drive business to the local community, and promote Vacaville as a dining destination to visitors.
Carbonate worked with the Visit Vacaville team to create a branded campaign to bring the event to life, positioning Vacaville as a hub for interesting and diverse restaurants for locals and visitors alike.
CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
The language and imagery created needed to be memorable and compelling, and clearly communicate what makes Vacaville and its culinary community stand out. Our team led a strategy session with key stakeholders from Visit Vacaville to discuss important learnings from past campaigns, goals for the current campaign, and conceptual themes to highlight. We also outlined the campaign’s target audiences, and what motivates their behavior, to develop messages that resonate.
MARKETING PHRASES & EVENT ACTIVATIONS
With a variety of concepts participating - from fine dining to food trucks - we branded the event “Taste of Vacaville,” to better capture all that would be offered.
Key brand phrases were used across different marketing materials and platforms, focused on community and food as a way to bring people together—from restaurateurs, to food truck owners, to wine purveyors, it’s an occasion with multiple activations and fun for the whole family. Carbonate also developed a series of event and activation ideas surrounding Restaurant Week that would help drive campaign participation on behalf of the restaurants, generate excitement in the community, and entice visitors to make a trip.
CAMPAIGN DESIGN
Beyond just a logo, a unique visual communication style for the event served as a powerful marketing opportunity—communicating a level of professionalism, and helping stoke anticipation from both potential attendees and restaurant partners.
A lively, playful, and elevated visual identity was centered around retro-inspired shapes depicting a range of produce and ingredients creating a whimsically illustrative visual language. Custom lettering incorporated cues taken from a local iconic restaurant’s signage, adding a rustic touch that also honored the community and its history. And a vibrant and engaging color palette brought the whole concept to life across a range of collateral, including event posters, table tents, and digital media.
