Tennessee Counties Magazine: A Creative Brief of the Publication

About TCSA:

The Tennessee County Services Association (TCSA)’s purpose is to improve the operation of Tennessee county government, and thereby the services counties provide to their residents.

Campaign Background:

TCSA has distributed a newspaper-style publication for the past 30 years (in bi-monthly increments), but consumer reading habits and technological advances have shown that the association should shift its communication channels to a magazine-style publication (named Tennesse Counties Magazine) which will be released bi-annually.

Key Challenge:

The key campaign challenge will be ways to announce a traditionally-printed and distributed publication in ways that can reach the target audience and let them know that the new type of magazine will be sent to mailboxes in January 2023. This is also considered part of the ‘communication strategy,’ which leaves a big challenge for the association to overcome.

Target Audience(s):

• TCSA members (including county mayors, commissioners, and highway officials)

• Key Partners (State Representatives, UT-CTAS, TACIR, COAT members, TCSA members, corporate sponsors, and vendors)

Competitors:

Key Partners (listed above) could also be considered competitors, but there’s no real competition for information in the public service space.

Brand Tone/Voice:

As the communication channel changes, the brand tone should shift as well. Historically, TCSA has written rather long, jargon-filled content that all its publication readers may need help understanding. The content written for this new magazine should be full of information that is enjoyable to read and easily understood. Its tone should be professional and detailed, but it should be digestible to those unfamiliar with TCSA’s exact work.

Chief Message (to readers):

Tennessee Counties Magazine will be full of reliable, relevant information that members and partners have come to know from TCSA. It will also be full of visual elements, partner insights, and other ways to keep in touch with TCSA.