TDC has recently updated its name from The Development Corporation to simply TDC. This transition is the culmination of a year-long rebranding project between TDC staff and board and local marketing and advertising agency, Boire Benner Group.

TDC’s Digital Marketing Specialist, Alyssa Stoeckl, and Business Development Manager, Danielle King spearheaded this project. In collaboration with Boire Benner Group, they refreshed TDC’s brand and web presence to meet the demands of a more digital age. With the recent introduction of the new brand and Website, TDC’s Alyssa & Danielle sat down to share some reflections of the rebranding process.

Tell us a little bit about the process about coming up with this new look.

DK: The decision to update our brand and simplify our name is one that has been in the works for quite sometime. Once we decided to move forward, and a marketing firm was selected, it was a whirlwind of a year!

We started the process in the fall of 2019. First, with what we wanted to change, what we wanted to keep, and how we could refresh the community's understanding of TDC. Boire Benner Group worked with us to narrow our focus and gave us direction on how to accomplish the task at hand. After exploring some innovative alternatives to “The Development Corporation” (that sparked fun discussions), we ultimately chose to proceed with “TDC” and take advantage of the strong brand recognition TDC has within the community – it is how we were colloquially known in the community for decades.

With a direction to move in and a new style guide under our belt, we were able to tackle our new website, showcasing our properties and streamlining resources for our tenants and partners. 

We launched our new look at the beginning of this year and could not be happier with the end result of this year-long collaboration.

What has been the most rewarding part of this process?

AS: The launch of our new look. It has been fantastic to get reactions from the community on our new logo. Having worked so close to the project for many months, it is nice to get positive feedback. We obviously liked the way it turned out internally, but there’s always some nervous anticipation as to what the general public might think!

What was the most surprising part of this process?  

DK: How quickly things can evolve in just one meeting. Great brainstorming, dialogue, and diverse input led to some great strides in the process. The new-look changed directions several times, each one pushing us closer to the final product.

What advice would you give to other companies who might be looking to re-brand themselves?

AS: Trust the process. We were fortunate to budget a lot of time for this project, which allowed us to explore a variety of options for our new look. We tried a bunch of different directions, which ultimately led to the creation of something that we would have never envisioned when we started this project.

DK: Set your expectations realistically, and early! Having deadlines can encourage some much-needed creative discussion and help keep the momentum with a project as large as this. 

What do you hope your audience will take away from your new look and website?

AS: Our goals for this project were to refresh our brand in a way that maintained ties to our long-standing reputation in the community while being accessible to new audiences. We want to make sure that our brand and website are an extension of our commitment to serving out community and our tenants.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

AS: We chose to partner with Boire Benner Group to create our new look and website. And like they like to say, “it takes a group”. This was so true for our project. We could not have come out with such a great finished product without the support of the entire team at Boire Benner or the feedback from our board and tenants. The input of our stakeholders was so important to help us drive design choices and functionality of our website.

DK: The marketing and business attraction committee within our Board of Directors was a huge part of the success of this project. They were engaged from the beginning, brainstorming the direction we wanted to go in, and providing feedback on different versions of our website and logo, and what emerged was a true encapsulation of our organization and the region. Coincidentally, it also bears a striking resemblance to the landscape of our new office building! 

Aside from celebrating a new look in 2021, TDC is also celebrating 60 years this year. Stay tuned for updates from the organization as they celebrate six decades of attracting and retaining jobs and businesses to northern New York.