YoCo Twist Blog
Destination Brand
York County’s Destination Brand tagline “Have It Made Here” continued to be adopted across county businesses, organizations, events, and locations throughout fiscal year 2021-2022, with the goal of uniting all of York County under a unifying brand.
How the Destination Brand Emerged
Destination Brand began in 2017 when seven organizations came together to create a cohesive message for York County. The group consisted of York County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Cultural Alliance of York County, Downtown Inc, Main Street Hanover, York County Government, York County Economic Alliance, and the York County Community Foundation.
The Destination Brand launched in 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic slowed county-wide adoption. Fiscal year 2021-2022 saw a renewal of efforts to get the word out and increase brand adoption county-wide.
Get On Board with the Destination Brand
Destination Brand encourages York County businesses to incorporate the “Have it Made Here” branding into packaging, cans, and other customizable branded materials. Throughout 2021-2022, Destination Brand continued to build on its local maker video series and created a feature video about Nature’s Platter and its owner, Marie Fisher.
Destination Brand In Action
October 2021: Destination Brand sponsored the Yorktoberfest event in York and created a “Have it Made Here” beer. Everything in the beer was made locally, including York water and locally grown hops, and overseen by brewers at Collusion Tap Works in York.
Destination Brand also sponsored a three-game home series for the York Revolution. Players wore Destination Brand hats, which were then auctioned off to raise money for charity.
January 2022: Destination Brand sponsored FestivICE and had the tagline carved into an ice sculpture.
June 2022: The annual Made in America event was rebranded using the Destination Brand to become the Have It Made Here: A Celebration Of The Makers Spirit event. This week-long event included a digital passport where visitors could check in, learn about different makers, and redeem special offers.
Rebranding the event allowed it to expand. Previously, the “Made in America” event was primarily focused on manufacturing and snack food destinations. The “Have it Made Here” event expanded to include a wider variety of makers throughout the county and involved more hands-on opportunities for visitors.
