“Tampa Bay & Company” is history. Meet “Unlock Tampa Bay: Treasure Awaits”

After more than a year of research and development, Tampa Bay & Company has come up with a new name for itself and a new approach to attracting tourists and businesses to Tampa and Hillsborough County.

Say hello to "Unlock Tampa Bay: Treasure Awaits." (The corporate ID for the publicly funded, privately run company is Visit Tampa Bay.)

The new branding campaign comes from the folks at the Tampa-based ad agency Spark. The agency held focus groups throughout the U.S. and overseas to learn the current perception of Tampa Bay, and how it compares to its competitors in Florida and across the country.

The new logo, in the brand's newly selected signature colors of "Bay Blue," "Ybor Gold" and "Gaspar's Hull" black, shows the words "unlock" above a keyhole with two keys underneath.

This article appears in May 30 – Jun 5, 2013.