Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce: A Pulse Success Story

Here at Pulse, we have the pleasure of working on many projects, not only from businesses right here in Bangor, but also from areas all over Maine and beyond. For the past two years, we have worked closely with the fantastic group at the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce to redesign various guidebooks that they distribute all over the world. Here’s how we were able to play a part in the Chamber’s success story:

In September 2013, the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce awarded its guidebook contract to Pulse. With a goal of attracting more visitors both nationally and internationally, we set out to update the guidebook’s design and layout with a limited budget.

The Pulse team produced a 108-page publication including an “outer” 70 pages-plus-cover section and an “inner” 30 pages-plus-cover section – each prepared as a separate, free-standing design document. Advertisements and listings within the guidebook, a significant revenue generator for the Chamber, were revised, replaced, and repositioned as necessary. Over 200,000 copies of the guidebook were printed and the Chamber ran out of supply before the demand was met. The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce then awarded Pulse with contracts to recreate their Discover MDI marketing catalog and the Bar Harbor Relocation & Business Guide. You can view samples of our cover designs for the books on our website.

Bar Harbor Chamber employees reported seeing people using the view books’ maps and listings while traversing the town and surrounding areas, and noticed an increase in demand from international travel agencies. They have attributed the success of the new publications to Pulse’s creative design layout, which made it easy for both domestic and international tourists to enjoy Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, and, most importantly, it has helped local businesses attract more visitors and increase revenue.

We were able to prove our design abilities to such an extent that the Chamber requested us to modify and update the branding guidelines and styles for the 2015 view books. We conducted market research and gathered information about other publications of favorite destination areas within the United States to discover new trends and develop a design concept that would stay ahead of the curve, yet still appeal to Bar Harbor’s established audience.

The Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park 2015 Guidebook was very well-received and we are proud to know that “America’s Favorite Place” believes our concept for a modernized guidebook is the best one they’ve ever had. We’re very excited for the 2016 guidebook, and planning is already underway in preparation for Acadia National Park’s centennial celebration.

Whether it’s publication layout, social media marketing, or web design, we want to be a part of your success story.