Taupō's marketing body to review love logo

Taupō residents Tom and Vida Gould are big fans of the Love Taupō branding, having lived in the town since 1969. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

Taupō's marketing body is looking to renew its vows over the Love Taupō branding or move on.

The question of “Do you still Love Taupō?” is being asked by Destination Great Lake Taupō as part of a wider exercise to gather feedback from the community about the marketing strategy.

It uses the Love Taupō branding to advertise the region in a variety of ways, including the popular #LOVETAUPŌ sign on Lake Terrace, but whether it should continue to market under this brand is “the main thing” it wants feedback on.

There will be four workshops in Taupō, Tūrangi and Mangakino to gather feelings and ideas from local stakeholders about whether it’s time for a branding refresh.

The review follows public consultations on the Taupō Regional Destination Management Plan, which revealed that some felt the Love Taupō strategy did not reflect all the communities in the Taupō district.

Destination Great Lake Taupō is tasked with promoting the wider area to potential tourists, including Reporoa, Mangakino, Whakamaru, Tūrangi and Tongariro National Park.

This is collectively known as the Taupō Regional Destination.

Jolie Hurdley, Destination Great Lake Taupō's head of marketing, said the organisation was hoping to hear from all corners of the wider district.

“We’ve invited anyone in the community — whether you’re businesses, iwi, or a member of the general public.

“The main thing we’re trying to get out of the workshops is to understand how the community is feeling about the name [Love Taupō].”

The aim was to take on and incorporate feedback, she said, and the organisation had taken on external contractors to oversee the process and ensure better impartiality.

Ultimately, they were keeping an open mind about the future of Love Taupō as a tourism strategy.

“We’re not definite that we want to change the brand.”

Taupō residents Tom and Vida Gould have been living in the town since 1969 and they were “definitely” still in love with the place and the logo.

They were strolling along the waterfront and stopped at the #LOVETAUPŌ sign when the Taupō & Tūrangi Herald was there.

“You just have to look how many people stop and take photos. There must be thousands of photos,” Tom said.

Upcoming workshops:

• Taupō: May 30 at Suncourt Hotel, 10am to noon and 5pm to 7pm
• Mangakino: May 31 at St John Hall, 2pm to 4pm
• Tūrangi: June 13 at Tongariro Lodge, noon to 2pm

Register for the workshops at lovetaupo.com.