ECU Researchers help local town with marketing plan

The oldest “Nashville” will be getting some new looks, thanks in part to a collaboration with ECU’s College of Business, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Health and Human Performance. ECU students and faculty helped the North Carolina town with destination and social media marketing strategies. It’s part of the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Creating Outdoor Recreation Economies (CORE) program.

“We thoroughly enjoyed working with ECU and NCDOC on this project,” said Koy Worrell, director of the Town of Nashville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department. “The process reinvigorated community stakeholders to share what makes Nashville special.”

The project developed strategies through stakeholder feedback for how to market Nashville as a destination, and not just a stop along Highway 64 in Nash County. According to Dr. Emily Yeager, director of the COB’s Crisp Small Business Resource Center, this work will not replace Nashville’s brand – “The Original Nashville” – but rather will diversify the town’s marketing strategies. Those strategies include creating a marketing and social media manager position, as well as better promoting Nashville’s strengths, like its farmers market, Blooming Festival and small town charm. Worrell said the insights are actionable as the work took the community’s needs and capacity into consideration.

“Ensuring economic vitality in a small community such as Nashville is a multifaceted task that is crucial to the community’s health and well-being,” he said. “Nashville already has so much to offer, and we are continuing to develop our outdoor recreation assets and social places. We want to ensure Nashville is marketed in a way that showcases what makes us unique and establishes a sense of place.”

According to the NCDOC, the CORE program “offers strategic planning and technical assistance to help rural North Carolina communities to leverage the state’s abundant outdoor recreation assets to support local economic support.” Yeager said ECU got involved when she was contacted by the NCDOC, as multiple North Carolina colleges and universities were selected as CORE implementation service hubs. One of the highlights for her was working with collaborators from three different ECU colleges.

“Most of the time, research teams are brought together based on research, but this team was brought together based on their skill sets,” Yeager said. “This allowed creativity to flourish in unexpected ways. And, I loved that!”

Nashville, North Carolina dates back to 1777. The town’s website says it is the oldest of 13 “Nashville” towns and cities in the United States. The website also states that Nashville is Nash County’s fastest-growing town this century. Yeager and other participants from ECU and the NCDOC presented the project’s results last month at a town council meeting. They will give a final report later this month. The council can then begin to take action on recommendations.

“It is an honor when communities allow us to be a part of their vision, development and processes,” Yeager said. “It is also very inspiring to see how those here in eastern North Carolina love where they live and work hard to make it special.”

The CORE program is funded by a U.S. Economic Development Administration State Tourism Grant. Those taking part in the project from ECU include Yeager, COB faculty members Dr. John Kros and Danica Spriggs, and COB student Kenley Eads, as well as Dr. Tiffany Blanchflower and Rebecca Burnworth from HHP and Dr. Desiree Dighton and students Zebadiah Demorest and Mallory Picken from the Department of English.