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Will You Add? - Jumping on the Brandwagon - How to Give Your City a Motto Makeover in 10 Easy Steps
Many business owners opt to incorporate their business to protect themselves and the business from unanticipated losses and liabilities. Both small as well as large businesses can be incorporated. It is possible to incorporate businesses in any state in the United States, regardless of where the business is operated. Many business owners choose to incorporate their businesses in Delaware or Nevada, as they are very corporate-friendly. Nevada has highly favorable corporate laws. Many new business owners and small business owners lack adequate knowledge about the corporate laws prevailing in Nevada. The most frequently asked questions about Nevada corporations, include what are the different types of corporation entities, the process of incorporation, and what are the advantages of Nevada corporations.A corporation is considered as a separate legal entity. If the corporation is sued, the business owners and the officials are protected from personal liability.Business owners have to select the type of entity that best suits their business. An S-corp refers to a corporation that has elected a special tax status. A C-corp type of corporation pays their tax directly to the IRS. LLC or limited liability company is an unincorporated legal entity created under state law.The process of incorporating in Nevada is similar to other states. "Articles of incorporation" are filed with the state to receive its approval to form a corporation. Articles include various details of the business such as the state where it is operated, and the nature of the business. Business owners have to pay the prescribed fees for incorporating their businesses.Nevada corporation offers unbeatable benefits to business owners. They do not have to pay a corporate income tax or taxes on corporate shares. Business owners do not have to pay any franchise tax or any personal income tax either. Along with directors, Nevada incorporation protect officials from personal liability as well.It is advisable for new business owners to utilize the services of Nevada corporation planners who are specialized in Nevada corporate laws. They can also provide information about all the aspects of Nevada incorporation on the Internet.
Give your citizens something to rally around. Give them a new battle cry. Create a new platform for delivering an enduring message that expresses confidence and shows some attitude. Who remembers Las Vegas’s former motto, “Las Vegas Loves Visitors?” That’s ancient history. The city re-branded itself and never looked back.
Step #3: Test the Waters
Brainstorm as much as possible. Solicit opinions and ideas from newspaper readers and all of your key stakeholders. Organize their responses in a meaningful way and ask your agency to help you sort, craft, and polish them. Narrow down the best slogans to a manageable list. For a reality check, do a little focus group testing. Feedback is always invaluable. Be sure to determine in advance who will make the final selection of your motto – a branding committee or the results of a city-wide contest. In some instances, a branding committee will select three to five mottos and then ask city residents to vote on them.
Step #4: Focus on Brand Attributes
What are your town’s assets and attractions? What words best describe its past, present, and future? Focus on slogan attributes that illustrate your town’s brand character (traditional or innovative), style (colorful or understated), tone (informative or imaginative) affinity (Main Street or Wall Street), and personality (playful or serious). What core values are ingrained in your town’s culture? Be sure to survey the competition (e.g., other citie
Payroll check fraud came calling four days before Christmas. A branch of our main bank called and wanted to verify a check. The young lady who took the call in our office quickly realized that the check was out of sequence and for a person not on the client's payroll. The check was cut on our trust account. I spoke to the bank employee who had called us. They were stalling the person by having then fill out an account application, more about that later. I took the location of the bank and called the local police department. Of course I didn't have the right exact city and had to make an additional call. The police finally were dispatched to the grocery store where the branch bank was. The woman trying to cash the check was gone. But the police were fairly sure that they would apprehend her soon. Next day she tried to pass a check on someone else at a different bank. The police were called and she was arrested and turned over on a filed warrant to the police I had called. They had issued a warrant the same day she cashed a check on us and had given the bank as part of the paperwork a copy of her real drivers license. No one ever claimed crooks were smart.She had cashed eight checks on our account for about eight thousand dollars total. Checks under a thousand dollars are easier to cash.We have a very sophisticated check with all kinds of safeguards against fraud. Special paper, void pantographs, MICR lock, warning legends, artificial watermarks, colored paper and more. So what happened. The scammer and her cohorts simply copied the information including the MICR information on to new check stock. They actually didn't need a real check; they could have used a copy. They however changed the identifying information for the particular employee the original check was issued to. We currently have not been able to identify that person but we probably will in the end. The scam artist would not have changed the information if they were not interested in protecting the person whose check it was originally. There was no way to make the information on the check not available to the scammer. The employee, the employee's bank and our bank need all that information. So what do we do in the future to prevent th
Join the club. The entire country is caught up in a frenzy of sloganeering. More than 80 percent of towns with populations greater than 25,000 either have a motto or are attempting to develop a new one.
The surge in branding can be attributed, in large part, to our friends in Las Vegas, whose daring motto, “What Happens Here, Stays Here,” hit the national airwaves in 2001 and shows no signs of abating. Of course, it helps if you’re blessed with a towering budget, an endless supply of neon lights, and hordes of tourists who are admitted adrenaline junkies.
Other big cities that have jumped on the brandwagon to polish their image include the likes of Cleveland (“Cleveland Rocks!”), Omaha (“O!”), Atlanta (“Every Day is an Opening Day”), San Diego (“City with Sol”), and Atlantic City (“Always Turned On”). They have launched city-wide campaigns to help sell their new brand message and make it stick. The results so far have been favorable and city fathers are relieved. Projects of this magnitude are usually accompanied by a fair amount of anguish and nagging doubts, especially when detractors start chomping at the bit. After all, a city’s pride and reputation are at stake.
City Branding Isn’t For Sissies
To put it bluntly, branding isn’t for sissies. Big cities can expect to spend nine months to a year in brand development and several more years promoting their brandiwork. They also have to contend with lots of stakeholders, such as city officials, neighborhood leaders, corporate sponsors, downtown redevelopers, the Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Chamber of Commerce. Oh, and let’s not forget the opinions of vocal city residents and members of the press who weigh in throughout the entire process.
So if branding is painful, protracted, and perilous, why do cities do it? Why don’t they keep their old motto? Why can’t they simply quote that cool Latin inscription on their official seal? What difference does a brand new slogan really make?
Well, I’m here to tell you…it makes a huge difference. A slogan is a valuable ambassador. When conceived correctly, it can reflect a city’s style and personality, leverage its assets, and communicate a compelling message. Think of it as urban renewal without having to pass a bond measure.
Every city is unique, possessing both positive and negative perceptions. It has a history, a culture, and a constituency. The key to effective branding is to embrace an appealing slogan that promises an experience that can’t be duplicated anywhere else. A good slogan is just the tip of the iceberg, an exclamation point at the end of a municipal pitch to the world at large.
Cities that succeed in incorporating their refurbished brand message into their campaigns and advertising creative provide the impetus for attracting visitors, retirees, home builders, and investors, which, in turn, helps generate greater tourism, tax revenue, unity, and goodwill.
Cleveland’s motto makeover is a case in point. After 30 years of living with the shameful moniker, “The Mistake on the Lake,” and the ever-so-brief, yawn-inducing slogan, “America’s Comeback City,” it has emerged with its self-esteem intact and is now enjoying renewed pride and optimism largely inspired by its new slogan, “Cleveland Rocks!” Cleveland has fast become a popular destination for the rockers and the Dockers® set, and its brand barometer has never looked brighter.
Preparing Your Motto Makeover
Your city’s motto is the focal point of your brand message. It tells a story, your story. It should be succinct, positive, original, and memorable. It should be believable (this is who we are), but it can also aspire to be something bigger and greater (this is how we’re evolving).
Mottos can be humorous (“Experience Our Sense of Yuma” – Yuma, AZ); alliterative (“Livable, Lovable Lodi”); quaint (“Where the Trout Leap on Main Street” – Saratoga, WY); clever (“There’s More Than Meets the Arch” – St. Louis, MO”); disarming (“It’s Not the End of the Earth, but You Can See It from Here” – Bushnell, SD),” or rhyme (“Where Nature Smiles for Seven Miles,” – Spring Lake, MI). Whatever motto you select, it reflects on you and vice-versa. Think of it as a robe you put on that fits well, feels good, looks great, and makes the right impression.
Since your motto competes with others in the municipal, regional, and national marketplace, it should also be strikingly unique so that it stands out in a crowd.
In the long run, you need a solid strategy for not only developing a motto, but also promoting it and communicating its value. A motto is just part of an overall brand awareness program that your town’s citizens and the rest of the world will judge by its clarity, consistency, and creativity.
The Ten Steps to Successful Sloganeering
As a public service, I have identified 10 easy steps that any city or town can follow, regardless of size, budget, or inclination, to ensure that its branding and sloganeering process is satisfying and successful. Here we go:
Step #1: Build Your Case
To kick off a city branding project, you need top-down and grass-roots buy-in. The officials who control the budget will want to know why re-branding is necessary. Be prepared to give them a good answer. Conduct a brand audit to benchmark your current thinking and build consensus. As you move forward, try to obtain pro-bono support from a leading ad agency and donations from a few local corporations. Assemble a plan, a timetable, and a set of expectations. Refer to the branding success of other cities and focus on bottom-line results. Start thinking like a brand manager…not a city manager.
Step #2: Don’t Be Afraid to Re-brand
Okay, so you have a tired, worn-out slogan that’s negative, unoriginal, boring, and trite – and it doesn’t do justice to your fair city. Well, then, do something about it! If companies can re-invent themselves with exciting new slogans, so can you. Perceptions change and you can find yourself in a rut very quickly. You don’t need to spend millions on urban redevelopment to have an excuse to re-brand – just a strong belief shared by others that your slogan is no longer channeling your city’s mojo.
Give your citizens something to rally around. Give them a new battle cry. Create a new platform for delivering an enduring message that expresses confidence and shows some attitude. Who remembers Las Vegas’s former motto, “Las Vegas Loves Visitors?” That’s ancient history. The city re-branded itself and never looked back.
Step #3: Test the Waters
Brainstorm as much as possible. Solicit opinions and ideas from newspaper readers and all of your key stakeholders. Organize their responses in a meaningful way and ask your agency to help you sort, craft, and polish them. Narrow down the best slogans to a manageable list. For a reality check, do a little focus group testing. Feedback is always invaluable. Be sure to determine in advance who will make the final selection of your motto – a branding committee or the results of a city-wide contest. In some instances, a branding committee will select three to five mottos and then ask city residents to vote on them.
Step #4: Focus on Brand Attributes
What are your town’s assets and attractions? What words best describe its past, present, and future? Focus on slogan attributes that illustrate your town’s brand character (traditional or innovative), style (colorful or understated), tone (informative or imaginative) affinity (Main Street or Wall Street), and personality (playful or serious). What core values are ingrained in your town’s culture? Be sure to survey the competition (e.g., other cities
What is Business Process Management?To stay competitive in the marketplace a business needs to be cost effective. This is largely accomplished by streamlining the operations of the business and making sure the processes are running at peak efficiency. All businesses run via processes and Business Process Management (BMP) is a technology developed to give businesses the framework in which to manage more effectively the processes that make them tick. BMP technology is able to automate the managing of processes in your business, but allows for human intervention wherever necessary.Most business processes involve more than one department and even different organizations. These processes rely heavily on the information from and participation of multiple systems. BPM technology is designed to facilitate these processes by integrating the various components into one streamlined system that runs smoothly and efficiently on a partially or completely automated flow of steps.BPM automates the flow of a process and it automates the extraction of information needed to ensure that the process is completed properly. When human intervention is needed, each person is notified at the appropriate time to implement the step or steps that must be provided.BPM is also able to provide tracking of results and allows a business to measure the success of operations. The flexibility is in place to allow for changes to be made within the process so that the improvements in the operations will create a better outcome.What to Look for in a BPM Technology BPM technology for your business should include at least the following components:• Design tools and user interfaces • API/framework layer • Data transformation • Process automation, workflow, and rules engine • Connectivity services • Activity management for your businessOne of the main problems that businesses run into when they begin to consider BPM technology is they find out that they do not fully understand the current processes they have in place. There is a large amount of preparation involved when integrating a BPM solution into your existing business process framework and many businesses do not understand their processes well eno
So if branding is painful, protracted, and perilous, why do cities do it? Why don’t they keep their old motto? Why can’t they simply quote that cool Latin inscription on their official seal? What difference does a brand new slogan really make?
Well, I’m here to tell you…it makes a huge difference. A slogan is a valuable ambassador. When conceived correctly, it can reflect a city’s style and personality, leverage its assets, and communicate a compelling message. Think of it as urban renewal without having to pass a bond measure.
Every city is unique, possessing both positive and negative perceptions. It has a history, a culture, and a constituency. The key to effective branding is to embrace an appealing slogan that promises an experience that can’t be duplicated anywhere else. A good slogan is just the tip of the iceberg, an exclamation point at the end of a municipal pitch to the world at large.
Cities that succeed in incorporating their refurbished brand message into their campaigns and advertising creative provide the impetus for attracting visitors, retirees, home builders, and investors, which, in turn, helps generate greater tourism, tax revenue, unity, and goodwill.
Cleveland’s motto makeover is a case in point. After 30 years of living with the shameful moniker, “The Mistake on the Lake,” and the ever-so-brief, yawn-inducing slogan, “America’s Comeback City,” it has emerged with its self-esteem intact and is now enjoying renewed pride and optimism largely inspired by its new slogan, “Cleveland Rocks!” Cleveland has fast become a popular destination for the rockers and the Dockers® set, and its brand barometer has never looked brighter.
Preparing Your Motto Makeover
Your city’s motto is the focal point of your brand message. It tells a story, your story. It should be succinct, positive, original, and memorable. It should be believable (this is who we are), but it can also aspire to be something bigger and greater (this is how we’re evolving).
Mottos can be humorous (“Experience Our Sense of Yuma” – Yuma, AZ); alliterative (“Livable, Lovable Lodi”); quaint (“Where the Trout Leap on Main Street” – Saratoga, WY); clever (“There’s More Than Meets the Arch” – St. Louis, MO”); disarming (“It’s Not the End of the Earth, but You Can See It from Here” – Bushnell, SD),” or rhyme (“Where Nature Smiles for Seven Miles,” – Spring Lake, MI). Whatever motto you select, it reflects on you and vice-versa. Think of it as a robe you put on that fits well, feels good, looks great, and makes the right impression.
Since your motto competes with others in the municipal, regional, and national marketplace, it should also be strikingly unique so that it stands out in a crowd.
In the long run, you need a solid strategy for not only developing a motto, but also promoting it and communicating its value. A motto is just part of an overall brand awareness program that your town’s citizens and the rest of the world will judge by its clarity, consistency, and creativity.
The Ten Steps to Successful Sloganeering
As a public service, I have identified 10 easy steps that any city or town can follow, regardless of size, budget, or inclination, to ensure that its branding and sloganeering process is satisfying and successful. Here we go:
Step #1: Build Your Case
To kick off a city branding project, you need top-down and grass-roots buy-in. The officials who control the budget will want to know why re-branding is necessary. Be prepared to give them a good answer. Conduct a brand audit to benchmark your current thinking and build consensus. As you move forward, try to obtain pro-bono support from a leading ad agency and donations from a few local corporations. Assemble a plan, a timetable, and a set of expectations. Refer to the branding success of other cities and focus on bottom-line results. Start thinking like a brand manager…not a city manager.
Step #2: Don’t Be Afraid to Re-brand
Okay, so you have a tired, worn-out slogan that’s negative, unoriginal, boring, and trite – and it doesn’t do justice to your fair city. Well, then, do something about it! If companies can re-invent themselves with exciting new slogans, so can you. Perceptions change and you can find yourself in a rut very quickly. You don’t need to spend millions on urban redevelopment to have an excuse to re-brand – just a strong belief shared by others that your slogan is no longer channeling your city’s mojo.
Give your citizens something to rally around. Give them a new battle cry. Create a new platform for delivering an enduring message that expresses confidence and shows some attitude. Who remembers Las Vegas’s former motto, “Las Vegas Loves Visitors?” That’s ancient history. The city re-branded itself and never looked back.
Step #3: Test the Waters
Brainstorm as much as possible. Solicit opinions and ideas from newspaper readers and all of your key stakeholders. Organize their responses in a meaningful way and ask your agency to help you sort, craft, and polish them. Narrow down the best slogans to a manageable list. For a reality check, do a little focus group testing. Feedback is always invaluable. Be sure to determine in advance who will make the final selection of your motto – a branding committee or the results of a city-wide contest. In some instances, a branding committee will select three to five mottos and then ask city residents to vote on them.
Step #4: Focus on Brand Attributes
What are your town’s assets and attractions? What words best describe its past, present, and future? Focus on slogan attributes that illustrate your town’s brand character (traditional or innovative), style (colorful or understated), tone (informative or imaginative) affinity (Main Street or Wall Street), and personality (playful or serious). What core values are ingrained in your town’s culture? Be sure to survey the competition (e.g., other citie
The Greatest Day in History…Today is the greatest day in the history of the world! That statement sounds optimistic because it sounds promising and it feels good to say it. That statement is often said in the context of today being the first day of the rest of your life and one is appreciative. Such appreciation should never go unattended, as it is real. However that statement is not a statement at all nor is it optimistic. “Today is the greatest day in the history of the world” is not a proclamation of promise. It’s a declaration of truth. The history of the world has been one of women’s suppression and struggle and though that still continues, today is better than any other day before. Today, women have power unlike never before and the power grows. Power is not something someone gives you; power is something one must take. Women have taken this power and by way of reasonable measures. Aristotle believed that at his best, man is the most noblest of all animals but separated from law and justice, he is the worst. Women can never be separated from the laws of nature because it’s their birthright and their gift. Women can never be separated from justice because justice begins with the woman. Women have been the victims of misguided laws and malicious injustice. Today, women have the power to impact the laws and levy justice where justice does not exist. In a civilized society, just laws must not only be prevalent, they must prevail. When women prevail in a society, all those in that society will profit and the society will prevail.Oftentimes when the subject of women in business is discussed, comparisons with men are made as if men are the barometer for business. This is a false perception and false too is the language. Business is not an entity separated from life; it is an entity encompassed by life. The definitions of a business consists of a line of work, to work, a profession, a job, a trade, a position, a vocation, a field, a calling and a career. Before today, societies around the globe have claimed that women didn’t work and therefore couldn’t understand the parameters of “formal” business. This misconception rivals some the largest platitudes in history: the near-sighted earth is flat, t
Preparing Your Motto Makeover
Your city’s motto is the focal point of your brand message. It tells a story, your story. It should be succinct, positive, original, and memorable. It should be believable (this is who we are), but it can also aspire to be something bigger and greater (this is how we’re evolving).
Mottos can be humorous (“Experience Our Sense of Yuma” – Yuma, AZ); alliterative (“Livable, Lovable Lodi”); quaint (“Where the Trout Leap on Main Street” – Saratoga, WY); clever (“There’s More Than Meets the Arch” – St. Louis, MO”); disarming (“It’s Not the End of the Earth, but You Can See It from Here” – Bushnell, SD),” or rhyme (“Where Nature Smiles for Seven Miles,” – Spring Lake, MI). Whatever motto you select, it reflects on you and vice-versa. Think of it as a robe you put on that fits well, feels good, looks great, and makes the right impression.
Since your motto competes with others in the municipal, regional, and national marketplace, it should also be strikingly unique so that it stands out in a crowd.
In the long run, you need a solid strategy for not only developing a motto, but also promoting it and communicating its value. A motto is just part of an overall brand awareness program that your town’s citizens and the rest of the world will judge by its clarity, consistency, and creativity.
The Ten Steps to Successful Sloganeering
As a public service, I have identified 10 easy steps that any city or town can follow, regardless of size, budget, or inclination, to ensure that its branding and sloganeering process is satisfying and successful. Here we go:
Step #1: Build Your Case
To kick off a city branding project, you need top-down and grass-roots buy-in. The officials who control the budget will want to know why re-branding is necessary. Be prepared to give them a good answer. Conduct a brand audit to benchmark your current thinking and build consensus. As you move forward, try to obtain pro-bono support from a leading ad agency and donations from a few local corporations. Assemble a plan, a timetable, and a set of expectations. Refer to the branding success of other cities and focus on bottom-line results. Start thinking like a brand manager…not a city manager.
Step #2: Don’t Be Afraid to Re-brand
Okay, so you have a tired, worn-out slogan that’s negative, unoriginal, boring, and trite – and it doesn’t do justice to your fair city. Well, then, do something about it! If companies can re-invent themselves with exciting new slogans, so can you. Perceptions change and you can find yourself in a rut very quickly. You don’t need to spend millions on urban redevelopment to have an excuse to re-brand – just a strong belief shared by others that your slogan is no longer channeling your city’s mojo.
Give your citizens something to rally around. Give them a new battle cry. Create a new platform for delivering an enduring message that expresses confidence and shows some attitude. Who remembers Las Vegas’s former motto, “Las Vegas Loves Visitors?” That’s ancient history. The city re-branded itself and never looked back.
Step #3: Test the Waters
Brainstorm as much as possible. Solicit opinions and ideas from newspaper readers and all of your key stakeholders. Organize their responses in a meaningful way and ask your agency to help you sort, craft, and polish them. Narrow down the best slogans to a manageable list. For a reality check, do a little focus group testing. Feedback is always invaluable. Be sure to determine in advance who will make the final selection of your motto – a branding committee or the results of a city-wide contest. In some instances, a branding committee will select three to five mottos and then ask city residents to vote on them.
Step #4: Focus on Brand Attributes
What are your town’s assets and attractions? What words best describe its past, present, and future? Focus on slogan attributes that illustrate your town’s brand character (traditional or innovative), style (colorful or understated), tone (informative or imaginative) affinity (Main Street or Wall Street), and personality (playful or serious). What core values are ingrained in your town’s culture? Be sure to survey the competition (e.g., other citie
Many small businesses are run from people’s home computers and fall under the radar of business statistics. Whether you are working for a multi-level marketing company or selling painted bird houses the difficulty of advertising your products without a budget is overwhelming. Let us face the fact that $20 a month spent on classified advertisement isn’t going to bring in a flood of visitors. A home-based business cannot compete with their larger counterparts. That is why in many cases owners are expected to tap into their personal relationships to make sales.Like many of you I run a small home based business and have learned through trial and error what works and what doesn’t. Despite putting some “notches in my belt” I have never stopped learning. In the beginning, many years ago, I wasted money paying for different types of advertisements. None of them worked well. Now my budget is nearly $0 and I receive thousands of visitors a year. How did I do this?Strategy #1 Email: Instead of paying for lists and possibly getting in trouble for spamming I send businesses a very personalized email message. How do I find these businesses? I find them by looking on the web, going to their homepage, reading a little about them, and then sending them a personalized email about my product. The key is personalization. Write a basic sales letter which highlights your product, offers contact information and how it can impact a particular type of business. Since I run a magazine which survives off of advertising revenue I have developed sample letters for the clothing industry, auto industry, legal industry, etc. I then place their information within the letter so that when they read it they say, “Wow! This guy knows what is important to me!”Strategy #2 Information: Search engines and customers love informative articles. We have all heard the saying, “knowledge is power”. Customers want to learn about their business as much as possible. Posting informative articles on your web page will help visitors keep returning for additional information and hold them there longer. Information also increases your credibility as a business to the potential customer. If they agree with what you are saying they are more likely to purchase from y
The Ten Steps to Successful Sloganeering
As a public service, I have identified 10 easy steps that any city or town can follow, regardless of size, budget, or inclination, to ensure that its branding and sloganeering process is satisfying and successful. Here we go:
Step #1: Build Your Case
To kick off a city branding project, you need top-down and grass-roots buy-in. The officials who control the budget will want to know why re-branding is necessary. Be prepared to give them a good answer. Conduct a brand audit to benchmark your current thinking and build consensus. As you move forward, try to obtain pro-bono support from a leading ad agency and donations from a few local corporations. Assemble a plan, a timetable, and a set of expectations. Refer to the branding success of other cities and focus on bottom-line results. Start thinking like a brand manager…not a city manager.
Step #2: Don’t Be Afraid to Re-brand
Okay, so you have a tired, worn-out slogan that’s negative, unoriginal, boring, and trite – and it doesn’t do justice to your fair city. Well, then, do something about it! If companies can re-invent themselves with exciting new slogans, so can you. Perceptions change and you can find yourself in a rut very quickly. You don’t need to spend millions on urban redevelopment to have an excuse to re-brand – just a strong belief shared by others that your slogan is no longer channeling your city’s mojo.
Give your citizens something to rally around. Give them a new battle cry. Create a new platform for delivering an enduring message that expresses confidence and shows some attitude. Who remembers Las Vegas’s former motto, “Las Vegas Loves Visitors?” That’s ancient history. The city re-branded itself and never looked back.
Step #3: Test the Waters
Brainstorm as much as possible. Solicit opinions and ideas from newspaper readers and all of your key stakeholders. Organize their responses in a meaningful way and ask your agency to help you sort, craft, and polish them. Narrow down the best slogans to a manageable list. For a reality check, do a little focus group testing. Feedback is always invaluable. Be sure to determine in advance who will make the final selection of your motto – a branding committee or the results of a city-wide contest. In some instances, a branding committee will select three to five mottos and then ask city residents to vote on them.
Step #4: Focus on Brand Attributes
What are your town’s assets and attractions? What words best describe its past, present, and future? Focus on slogan attributes that illustrate your town’s brand character (traditional or innovative), style (colorful or understated), tone (informative or imaginative) affinity (Main Street or Wall Street), and personality (playful or serious). What core values are ingrained in your town’s culture? Be sure to survey the competition (e.g., other citie
I always wonder if the 'experts' who appear on the morning shows (The Today Show; Good Morning America; CBS Morning Show) have any idea that they frequently sound stupid to perhaps half the people who are listening to them.Consider the other morning, for example. According to one 'expert,' dentists all over the country are extremely worried because people are drinking so much bottled water, and, therefore, are not getting enough fluoride from drinking tap water."It is easy to drink fluoridated tap water," the expert said. "Everyone can just turn on their tap and drink fluoridated water."Really?Everyone?What about those people who drink well water and are not hooked into a municipal water system that fluoridates the water supply?I don't know about people who live out in the country in other parts of the United States, but around here in Wisconsin, we do not install systems to fluoridate our well water. Sometimes people will give fluoride tablets to their children to prevent tooth decay, and the school districts will also give fluoride tablets to rural children, but from what I've read, fluoride tablets might not be such a good idea, either. I have read that fluoride can depress thyroid activity and that doctors used fluoride up until the 1950s to treat thyroid conditions.Whether the claims about the dangers of fluoride are true or not, I cannot say for certain because I am not a research scientist who has investigated fluoride. What I can say for certain is that if you do a Google search for "fluoride" and "thyroid" more than 300,000 references come up. And when you start to read through the web page descriptions, you see that many of the websites are questioning the safety and efficacy of using fluoride either by tablet or in the drinking water.In regard to the issue of drinking tap water for the fluoride, the expert on television went on to say that many people are afraid to drink their tap water because of contaminants.Really?Isn't that why municipalities go to great pains to test their water? To make that sure the water is free from contaminants? Isn't that why there are so many regulations con
Give your citizens something to rally around. Give them a new battle cry. Create a new platform for delivering an enduring message that expresses confidence and shows some attitude. Who remembers Las Vegas’s former motto, “Las Vegas Loves Visitors?” That’s ancient history. The city re-branded itself and never looked back.
Step #3: Test the Waters
Brainstorm as much as possible. Solicit opinions and ideas from newspaper readers and all of your key stakeholders. Organize their responses in a meaningful way and ask your agency to help you sort, craft, and polish them. Narrow down the best slogans to a manageable list. For a reality check, do a little focus group testing. Feedback is always invaluable. Be sure to determine in advance who will make the final selection of your motto – a branding committee or the results of a city-wide contest. In some instances, a branding committee will select three to five mottos and then ask city residents to vote on them.
Step #4: Focus on Brand Attributes
What are your town’s assets and attractions? What words best describe its past, present, and future? Focus on slogan attributes that illustrate your town’s brand character (traditional or innovative), style (colorful or understated), tone (informative or imaginative) affinity (Main Street or Wall Street), and personality (playful or serious). What core values are ingrained in your town’s culture? Be sure to survey the competition (e.g., other cities and other slogans) for added perspective.
Step #5: Make Your Slogan Specific
Me-too, cookie-cutter slogans are a dime a dozen. If you borrow another city’s brand style, personality, or message, you’re selling your town down the river. What are you proud of? What are you known for? Are you merely the gateway to someplace else or is there a there, there? Too many towns have generic mottos or monikers that sound notoriously alike (“America’s Hometown,” “A Great Place to Live,” A Place to Call Home,” etc.). Don’t go down that road. Instead, you can:
•Honor your hometown hero: “Birthplace of Johnny Cash” – Kingsland, AR
•Confer a title upon your town: “Goat Ropin’ Capital of the World” – Gotebo, OK
•Emphasize something unique: “Home of the Candy Dance” – Genova, NV
•Play up a weird attraction: “The World’s Largest Chee-to” – Algona, IA
•Make an unusual claim: “The Poison Oak Capital of the World” – Forestville, CA
Step #6: Turn Your Brand Into an Ambassador
Your slogan is your brand ambassador. People experience your brand every time one of their five senses comes in contact with it. Your job is to package the most positive impressions that comprise their experience, and then brand it for them. “The Sweetest Place on Earth,” the motto of Hershey, PA, is a perfect example. Its brand image and message capture the joy and happiness that people feel when they experience chocolate.
As your brand ambassador, use your slogan to make your town more appealing. Is it a fun place to visit? What are the benefits of living there? Does your motto inspire us to learn more about your town? A good brand ambassador hits all the emotional touchpoints.
Step #7: Keep Your Brand Visible
More than 80 percent of the web sites of the 50 largest U.S. cities don’t even mention their official slogans, which just goes to show how little thought they give to their own branding. Too often, a city will spend months on brand development and then fail to make its new slogan and logo a visible part of its communications. Make sure your new brand identity is front and center on business cards, brochures, e-mail messages, and the home page of the Web sites that promote your city (e.g., city government, Chamber of Commerce, Convention & Visitors Bureau, etc.).
Strive for synergy and consistency among these sites, especially a common look and feel in the treatment of your logo, slogan, and city colors. The creation of a style guide will help achieve this. Finally, give some thought to turning your slogan into a web site address, such as Charlottesville’s www.soveryvirginia.com, which takes you straight to its C&VB site. Now that’s branding!
Step #8: Tell a Compelling Story
It’s the story behind the slogan and the theme that drives it that gives it “legs.” It should be told and re-told with conviction and enthusiasm. Since your stakeholders are your strategic partners and strongly invested in the outcome, get them on board from the get-go. Early adopters make the best evangelists. When it’s time to announce your slogan publicly, make sure you inform your team how and when you’re going to roll out the new brand message. Make sure they have the talking points they need to help promote your program. You also may want to take a few members of the press into your confidence. Whatever else you do, publicize, publicize, publicize!
Step #9: Devise an Integrated Marketing Plan
The first six months after you announce your brand identity and new slogan are the most critical. Many people will be in a state of shock; others will be totally nonplussed; and there are those who will write nasty letters to the editor and turn your fresh new branding into rancid lunchmeat. Don’t worry, this is normal. You don’t have to embrace these opinions, but you can rise above it all with a carefully-planned and well-honed market strategy.
An agency can provide expert guidance and the necessary overview if you’re planning to mount a communications campaign that involves print, radio, or TV advertising; collateral development; e-mail marketing; and web messaging, as well as the creation of signage for billboards, buses, and downtown banners. An integrated marketing plan is designed to work multiple channels for maximum effect, leveraging all of your resources under one branding umbrella.
Over the past year, the city of Omaha has enjoyed great success at promoting its new brand identity and slogan, embodied dramatically in a bright, eye-catching red logo. The “O!” has popped up on street corners, public buildings, local businesses, festival streamers, and even election stickers. Merchandise emblazoned with it can be purchased online, and city residents are encouraged to submit photos of “O!” sightings to www.ososurprising.com.
Despite the uneasy comparisons with Oprah, Oxygen, and Overstock.com, the city of Omaha has played the branding game with a lot of smarts – partnering with key stakeholders in the management of its brand awareness campaign, integrating its message across complementary web sites, and encouraging the entire community to get more involved and embrace the spirit and surprise of “O!”
Step #10: Think Beyond City Limits
City mottos were not meant to change with every passing mayoral administration. If they did, they wouldn’t address what is universal and timeless about your town. They would simply serve as a convenient catchphrase to spur, at best, downtown economic growth. When you sit down with your creative folks, focus on things like vision and values and the qualities that define your city’s greatness. That’s the level on which you should communicate.
There are no absolutes, no right or wrong answers in the branding game. When all is said and done, success in branding is measured by the integrity of the concept that underlies your main message. It’s the bridge that lets you reconcile the experience of your city with the expression of its message. Remember, your city’s motto is more than just a calling card; it’s a special invitation. So treat it like one.
Results of City Branding Survey
A national survey conducted in 2005 by TaglineGuru (www.t
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