The Base Realignment and Closure Regional Task Force
Corporate identity design and strategic planning
Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina is the largest US Army installation in the world, home to the 82nd Airborne Division soldiers and 10 percent of the Army’s active forces.
Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina is the largest U.S. Army installation in the world, home to the 82nd Airborne Division soldiers and 10 percent of the Army’s active forces. Already one of the largest and busiest military complexes in the world, Fort Bragg is preparing for additional gains of 40,000 military and civilian personnel and their families as the Army relocates the U.S. Army Reserve Command and U. S. Army Forces Command from Fort McPherson, Georgia to Fort Bragg. To prepare the community at large for the population expansion, the Base Realignment and Closure Regional Task Force (BRAC RTF) was formed to lead community planning and preparation for the influx of military and contract personnel. BRAC RTF manages all communications with government agencies and decision-makers, community leaders, military personnel and contract organizations affected by the expansion. To best position the greater Ft. Bragg area, BRAC RTF wanted to display the region as a land of business opportunity, attractive to companies considering a move to the area. Kelly MarCom was brought on board to name and develop a program to effectively communicate the assets offered by the region including education, scientific expertise, quality of life, a skilled workforce, culture, entertainment and leisure.
Kelly MarCom worked with BRAC RTF to define key characteristics of the region that would be attractive to businesses, and using our proprietary naming and brand discovery processes, determined the best methods for conveying those benefits. We developed a unique name, the “All American Defense Corridor,” as well as a corresponding logo for the 11-county region surrounding Fort Bragg. The name was designed to invoke patriotism and attract businesses to this military-friendly place to live and work. The development of the logo enhanced this imagery with red, white and blue, a star for patriotism and an ellipse symbolizing breadth and variety in all that the region has to offer. Uniting the new name and logo, Kelly MarCom designed a brochure with beautiful, full-page photography featuring the nationally-renowned golf attractions in the area, scientific and technological research capabilities, and other key assets of the area to potential contractors and businesses. As part of this outreach, we produced a video telling the region’s story with enticing narrative and compelling visuals. Through the entire process Kelly MarCom led communications with multiple stakeholders and BRAC RTF board members to bring a unified message to market.
BRAC RTF’s newly named All American Defense Corridor saw a tremendous upswing in inquiries about the area after the initial release of the branded materials to the public in 2007. By 2009 all 10,000 brochures had been distributed in response to inquiries. The five-year effort at raising awareness of the region’s attributes and attracting businesses and government contractors to the area is ongoing, but already several large contractors have established offices in the area and relocated personnel to the region. BRAC RTF continues to report steady interest and traffic generated by the name and associated marketing outreach.
