1 July 2019 marks the significant union of two Airlie Beach icons, Abell Point Marina and the Coral Sea Resort. Australian entrepreneur and marina owner, Paul Darrouzet, exchanged contracts of sale on the resort in November 2018 with a vision to create a premium destination marina resort on the Whitsunday mainland coast.
From 1 July, Abell Point Marina and the Coral Sea Resort will be memorably rebranded Coral Sea Marina|Resort. The merger of these two well established businesses was an opportunity to create a unified brand and develop a compelling brand identity which is truly representative of what the new marina resort aims to be.
The new brand identity was born out of detailed research with key industry stakeholders, as well as the future vision of the Coral Sea Marina|Resort.
Creating a vibrant and inciting mainland marina resort destination is the vision for the future, so a freshly developed brand was deemed integral to this process.
Brisbane based creative agency, Nick Did This, was appointed to work closely with the marina resort team and as Nick Pritchard, owner and creative strategist, explains “A new destination deserves a new brand!”
Joscelyn O’Keefe, Abell Point Marina’s, marketing & business development manager explains, “We have worked with the team at Nick Did This over the last 6 years to develop a very strong Abell Point Marina brand, so they were the ideal choice to work with throughout this integration period. The creative team at Nick Did This have created a brand identity which will resonate across our varied target markets,”
The new look and feel for the brand will focus on the Coral Sea Marina|Resort being a destination that is all about experiences you will love, enjoy and remember, rather than just its facilities and accommodation.
The new brand archetype is about providing pleasure and happiness to visitors by delivering memorable experiences that reflect excellence in quality and value.
Kate Purdie, Abell Point Marina’s general manager believes “The development of the new brand is imperative for the future success of the Coral Sea Marina|Resort.”
“The strength in both existing brands has been leveraged, with a strong focus on the romance and adventure of the Coral Sea as well as maintaining the current Abell Point Marina tagline of Stay, Play, Explore. The tagline encapsulates the scope of experience available at the Coral Sea Marina|Resort for on-shore and on-water customers,” explains Ms Purdie.
The renewed logo incorporates a marine symbol which is a visual representation of three distinct elements of the Marina|Resort precinct: the coral sea, the parkland and the marine activities. One continuous line links them all together harmoniously while the distinct colours gives them each a personality of their own.
“We’ve always loved working with Abell Point Marina, so we were thrilled to come on board and help develop the name, logo and look for Coral Sea Marina|Resort,” said Nick Pritchard.
“The coming together of the Coral Sea, the gardens and the marina into the new Marina|Resort is an incredibly exciting proposition, so we wanted to reflect that physically in the logo by bringing together three elements that represent these different aspects of the property. And now, we can’t wait to roll out a campaign that shows this is a place where adventures begin and real ‘moments’ are made!”
Over the coming months the new brand elements will be integrated across both businesses in anticipation of the official merger date of 1 July – when the adventure begins.
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