1. TEAM: BOSSA INSIGHT
SA JANI ABRAHAM , NATHALIE DONAGHY,
DANIEL EASLEY, HOLLIE JONES, MINA LIU
Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica)Please enjoy the beauty of the trees of North Carolina.

2. North Carolina: For All Seasons
A cohesive, authentic message that is
easily adaptable to resonate with our
dearest audiences:
our people, our businesses, and our guests.
Yellow Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)

3. Guiding Principle
What should North Carolina stand for?
Fertile ground
for our people,
for our businesses, and
for our guests
in all seasons of their lives.
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

4. Start at home
Our first step in identifying the right message
was to ask the experts:
North Carolinians
Goal: Strong Brand Advocates with a passionate
emotional connection
Batra, R., Ahuvia, A., Bagozzi, R. (2012) Brand Love. Journal of Marketing: March 2012, Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 1-16.
Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)

5. Brand Associations
Primary Qualitative Research Analysis
“What makes North Carolina,
North Carolina for you?”
1 Natural Environment Theme
2 Relationship Theme
3 Variety Theme
Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra)

6. Brand Associations
How do the perceptions of “non-familiars” and residents compare?
Trone Consumer Panel,
NC Perceptions Survey (2009)
Primary Qualitative Research,
Internet Convenience Sample (March 2014)
Never lived worked or vacationed in NC North Carolina Residents
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

7. Brand Position
What is our unique value? How are we different?
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
Natural Environment
Number of State and
National Parks
Business Climate
Business Costs
Growth Prospects
Innovation
See Appendix For Detailed Data and Citations

8. Brand Position
What should NC stand for?
1. Responsibility to each other
(Teammates, not as a ranked hierarchy)
2. Emphasis on opportunity variety
(Multidimensional, not limited to a single axis of opportunity)
3. Connection to Natural Environment
(Emphasis on leisure, sustenance, and aesthetic beauty,
not an ideological movement)
Atlantic White Cedar (Chamecyparis thyoides)

9. Brand Position
Sub-branding Key Areas identified by NCEDB
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
*Source: NC Economic Development Board Cluster/Branding Sub-Committee, Oct 2013

10. Brand Position: Sub-branding Key Areas
What unique and credible benefits should NC offer and to whom?
The identified Brand Values correspond well with the 6 Key Areas
identified by the NCEDB to address in sub-branding efforts.
Brand Values NCEDB Sub-branding Key Areas*
1. Responsibility to each other Infrastructure, Education, People, Quality of Life
2. Emphasis on opportunity variety Business Climate, Innovation, Education, Quality of Life
3. Connection to Natural Environment People, Quality of Life, Infrastructure, Innovation
*Source: NC Economic Development Board Cluster/Branding Sub-Committee, Oct 2013
Swamp Chestnut Oak (Quercus Michauxii)

11. Brand Promise: What do we promise to
deliver to our target audiences every time?
1. Charming Southern Hospitality
2. Vibrant Communities of Innovators
3. Extraordinary Natural Beauty
Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

12. Brand Personality:
If NC were a person, what would (s)he be like?
1. Lovable
2. Native Wit
3. Down-to-Earth
Musclewood (carpinus caroliniana)

13. Brand Story: How does NC’s history and
attributes add value and credibility to our brand?
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
Brand Promise
1. Charming Southern Hospitality
2. Vibrant Communities of Innovators
3. Extraordinary Natural Beauty
North Carolina ranked as the
15th most innovative state

14. Sample Brand Story Framework
North Carolina: For All Seasons
“For All Seasons” evokes nature and beauty of the
climate that many already associate with NC
Simple Flexible Accurate Enduring
Can be taken literally -Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall-
but doesn’t have to be
Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea)

15. Brand Story
How will we tell our story to our businesses?
“Nurturing NC businesses is good for all of us. Here’s how we demonstrate
our commitment to our businesses in each growing season: …”
Bloom – Support organizations
Financial incentives
Access to markets
Thrive – ThriveNC.com
Business Climate statistics
Renew – Strong university partnerships
Financial incentives
White Ash (Fraxinus Americana)
Brand Position
1. Responsibility to each other
2. Emphasis on opportunity variety
3. Connection to Natural Environment

16. Brand Story
How will we tell our story to our guests?
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
Brand Promise
1. Charming Southern Hospitality
2. Vibrant Communities of Innovators
3. Extraordinary Natural Beauty

17. Brand Story
How will we tell our story to our people?
Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda)
Brand Position
1. Responsibility to each other
2. Emphasis on opportunity variety
3. Connection to Natural Environment

18. Brand Story
How will we tell our story to our leaders?
White Oak (Quercus Alba)
Fertile ground
for our people,
for our businesses, and
for our guests
in all seasons of their lives.

19. TEAM: BOSSA INSIGHT
SA JANI ABRAHAM , NATHALIE DONAGHY,
DANIEL EASLEY, HOLLIE JONES, MINA LIU
Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica)

20. Appendix
Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)

21. Consulted Works
Adamson, A. P. (2006). Brand Simple. New York.
Batra, R., Ahuvia, A., Bagozzi, R. (2012) Brand Love. Journal of Marketing: March 2012, Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 1-16.
Keller, K. L. (1999). Brand mantras: rationale, criteria and examples. Journal of Marketing Management, 15(1-3), 43-51.
Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. The Journal of Marketing, 1-22.
Rehan, R. M. (2013). Urban branding as an effective sustainability tool in urban development. HBRC Journal.
Roberts, K. (2005). Lovemarks. PowerHouse Books.
Sirianni, N. J., Bitner, M. J., Brown, S. W., & Mandel, N. (2013). Branded Service Encounters: Strategically Aligning Employee
Behavior with the Brand Positioning. Journal of Marketing, 77(6), 108-123.
Sujan, M., & Bettman, J. R. (1989). The effects of brand positioning strategies on consumers' brand and category perceptions:
some insights from schema research. Journal of Marketing Research, 454-467.

22. Data
Slide 6
Trone Consumer Panel - North Carolina Perceptions Survey. Trone, Inc. 2009.
Bossa Insight Exploratory Research - Online Forum Response Results. Bossa Insight, LLC. 2014.
Slide 7
Business Climate
Business Costs: NC = 2/50 http://www.forbes.com/best-states-for-business/list/
Growth Prospects: NC = 9/50 http://www.forbes.com/best-states-for-business/list/
Most Innovative States: NC = 15/51 http://www.bloomberg.com/slideshow/2013-12-18/top-20-most-innovative-states.html#slide7
Natural Environment
National Parks (1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_the_United_States
State Parks (79) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_parks

23. Data
Slide 7 continued
Business Climate
Business Costs
(Rank of 50)
Growth Prospects
(Rank of 50)
Most Innovative States
(Rank of 51)
Combined
Rank
NC 2 9 15 1
VA 22 17 11 2
TN 14 29 48 6
GA 24 12 29 3
WV 13 48 42 9
OH 28 35 22 5
MS 18 31 50 8
SC 28 19 33 4
AL 31 20 41 7
Natural Environment
National
Parks
State
Parks Sum
Combined
Rank
1 79 80 1
1 40 41 6
1 56 57 4
0 69 69 3
0 38 38 7
1 73 74 2
0 25 25 9
1 47 48 5
0 26 26 8

24. Data
Slides 9, 10
Source: NC Economic Development Board Cluster/Branding Sub-Committee, Oct 2013
Slide 13
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/slideshow/2013-12-18/top-20-most-innovative-states.html#slide7
(December 2013)
Slide 15
Source: www.thrivenc.com (Accessed March & April 2014)

25. Contact
Hollie Jones
judithholliejones@gmail.com
910.574.1086