Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau

IDEAS built an innovative new product for the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau (PMVB) — the PMVB Enculturation Toolkit.

The PMVB is in a very unique position.

Its team represents not a single company or even one town’s organization. The region they cover is 2,400 square miles and hosts a variety of resorts, attractions and mountain activities that their guests can enjoy.

So, how could they generate and deliver on a brand promise when they’re making that promise on behalf of so many different groups?

The answer lies in understanding the culture of a place by listening to the lore, traditions and collective experience of the region’s people.

The Process and the Outcome

We started by facilitating a StoryJam that uncovers the core story as the foundation for the brand initiative. Next, we created a new discipline — Culture Mapping and Enculturation — that does just that.

By understanding the people who must deliver on the service level that the brand initiative pledges, the PMVB Enculturation Toolkit can speak in the language and cultural hallmarks that make the Pocono Mountains unique and special.

Armed with the knowledge of who the Pocono Mountains people are and how they communicate and learn, along with the core story, IDEAS began the initiative.

At IDEAS, we organized and facilitated the learning of employees new to the area so that everyone who works in the Pocono Mountains can agree on a level of customer service and hospitality. We did so by using stories and characters that carry learners on a journey through the sort of hospitality and daily living innate to Pocono Mountains life.

It’s the 21st-century equivalent of sharing stories around the campfire.

In addition to understanding regional policy, learners get to know the vast expanse that is the Pocono Mountains region and what it offers.

For the PMVB, a major challenge to regional unity is the picturesque landscape itself and its winding roads.

The Pocono Mountains Treasure Hunt is a wayfinding game that we built from scratch. It orients the learner with respect to the region and teaches not only what’s available but also how to get there.